Dark Times
by lordtrayus
Summary: Sequel to Operation Knightfall and Order 66. What happens directly after Revenge of the Sith, to those who managed to escape the Great Jedi Purge, and those who fought back against the tyrannical new Empire. Shaak Ti, Whie, Serra Keto, K'krukh and more!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

1

Seven beings were on a tramp freighter, bound from Coruscant to Nar Shaddaa, the Hutt moon. One of these, the oldest, was a Togruta female. Her name was Shaak Ti.

She was a Jedi Master. A Council member in fact. She had been responsible for the defence of the Jedi Temple after the Sith had begun their revenge. And she had performed well. But not well enough. The Force had roared as Jedi were cut down in the Temple itself. Her friends had died around her, just because she had failed to do one simple thing: keep Anakin Skywalker within the Jedi Temple. It had been a simple task, and she had failed. And because of her failure, Mace Windu had died, Darth Sidious had lived, and Jedi were cut down across the galaxy as a direct result of Operation Knightfall and Order 66. She could have stopped it. But she had failed.

The next person, sleeping fitfully, as though in pain, was a young woman with black hair in ponytails. Her arm was in a sling, and her back was in pain, but aside from that, there was no indication of her fight with the newly christened Sith Lord Darth Vader. This was Serra Keto. The former, and best, padawan of Jedi Battlemaster Cin Drallig, she had went one on one with Vader, and had lost. She would have died if it hadn't been for Shaak Ti finding her. Shaak Ti put her away safe, and then stabilised her after she had finished her fight with Vader. She had since nursed her back to health.

Next was a young boy of fourteen, named Whie. He winced with every movement. This boy had been training under Cin Drallig when Vader had attacked, backed up by the 501st Legion. He had attacked Vader, but Vader had been too quick for him. If it wasn't for Cin Drallig force pushing him at the last possible moment, Whie would have died. But, now, he was on the mend, after careful care by Shaak Ti.

Beside him, holding his hand in sympathy, was a girl of fourteen, called Tallisibeth Enwandung Esterhazy, or Scout. She had been smuggled out of the Temple by a Jedi Knight, who had been killed by a stray blaster bolt from a clone. She was the only one from her group to have survived, the others all being killed as they ran.

Next was a young boy of ten, called Zett Jukassa. He had taken the clones head on, trying to get out of the Temple with Senator Bail Organa. Unfortunately, Commander Fox, one of the leaders of the 501st, had shot him down. Shaak Ti had rescued him and had slowly nursed him back to health.

Next was another padawan, called Senna Cy. She was girl of Zett's age. She had been taken out of the temple by a kindly Gran Jedi. She had then watched as the Jedi had been murdered by clones. She had went into the temple vents, finding Shaak Ti and her wounded Jedi.

Last was a young man, the same age as Serra, who had helped Shaak Ti by getting Jedi out of the temple. His name was Dyren Lan. He had got out thirteen, four of which were Knights. They had now dispersed across the galaxy. However, he, worried about others, had slipped back into the temple, to find Shaak Ti. He had found her, and had been with her ever since.

The seven of them were onboard the _Silent Witness_, and were preparing to make their way to Nar Shaddaa. From there, they would make their way out into the galaxy, and into hiding.

The galaxy had fallen into dark times. Emperor Palpatine had taken over the galaxy and was now using Darth Vader and his massive clone army to enforce his will throughout the galaxy. The Jedi had been shattered, and were now going into hiding. And this group was doing the same.

"Master, when are we mean tot take off?" Scout asked impatiently.

"I told you to call me miss. In five minutes." Shaak Ti said.

Shaak Ti shook her head. Maybe she shouldn't have been so hard on the girl. After all, this was new to the lot of them. It wasn't fair to take her frustrations out on the girl, especially when she had taken so much weight of her shoulders by looking after Whie.

"I'm sorry dear. I shouldn't have snapped. But…"

"It wasn't your fault. You couldn't know that he would do what he did." Dyren said comfortingly.

"Thank you dear. It's kind of you to say so."

"Shouldn't we try to find others like us?" Zett asked.

"If only we could. But I don't know how many are alive."

"But there are other councillors…" Senna said.

"Two of whom are in hiding and the other is the Emperor's new toy. I am the last one who is active. Which is not a pleasant thought."

She looked around at the other passengers. Many of them seemed depressed. Gran, Duro, Bothans and other species, all heading out onto the rim. With the introduction of the Empire, many species weren't welcome any more. The racism was enough to make anyone leave the planet. Aliens were now looked down upon. So, for them, like it was for the Jedi, it was time to leave. Then, a threat rippled in the Force.

"Stay calm." Shaak Ti ordered.

Serra opened her eyes to watch a group of six clones, dressed in white armour with red markings, walk onto the transport. They fanned out, asking for ID cards. They went along without mishap, until they saw a young Sullastan with a human male. They stood up.

"Yes?" the human asked.

"ID." The lead clone said.

"And why should we?" the Sullastan asked.

"Master?" Serra muttered.

"Leave it." Shaak Ti said.

"Because I ordered it. ID!" the commander shouted.

"Calm down Commander." One troop said.

The clone turned and fired two rounds into him. He dropped to the floor smoking.

"Anyone else want to challenge the way I do things?"

"No Commander Carhac!"

"Good."

He turned back to the Sullastan and the human.

"What is your trip for?"

"We're going out to the rim to see some friends." A new voice said.

Carhac turned to see a human female, with two toddlers, and a Sullastan female with four babies.

"ID." Carhac reiterated.

"We've already shown our IDs. We don't need to do it again." The human male said.

Carhac snapped. Shaak Ti gasped, then covered Zett and Senna's eyes, as Serra did the same to Scout and Whie.

Carhac fired several blaster bolts off, hitting the young man in the head, stomach and legs. The Sullastan male was hit three times in the head. As the women screamed, he turned and fired two bolts into the female Sullastan. He then fired into the babies. The human female was screaming, and trying to run, but the babies were stopping her. Carhac shot off another two shots, which blew through the womans chest, and then he fired at the toddlers. He sighed in exaltation, and then led his troops from the ship. Shaak Ti started to cry. That was one seriously bad clone. Where the hell did he come from?

She watched out the viewport, ignoring the others as they cried ins hock and despair. She watched as Carhac got into his speeder and sped off.

She knew they would cross paths again.

With that thought, the ship lurched into the air. Five minutes later, they had left the planet, Shaak Ti's home for so many years, the home of the Jedi, the one time centre of peace and justice, behind.

With one last look at the place they had all called home, they watched as Coruscant became smaller and smaller, and was then gone, as they jumped to lightspeed.

**So, whats ins tore for the team next? And who is Commander Carhac? Read on to find out! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

2

Syron Talo, captain of the Corellian Corvette the _Silver Blade_ adjusted his course a little.

"Do you reckon its true, what they're saying about the Jedi?" his first mate, and lover, Vella Harn asked.

"I've met Jedi. I met that Ikotochi one who was one the Jedi Council, Saesee Tiin. I don't believe for a moment that they betrayed the Republic. Something's wrong."

Vella smiled.

"Well, they were sure gotten rid of hell of a quick."

"Which is his point, I think. The timing was just too perfect. The deaths of the Jedi must have been pre-planned. The Jedi always insisted that the Dark Lords of the Sith were behind this war. It looks like that is the case, as they were all wiped out in a day." Teecee, the ships blue protocol droid said.

"It's wrong alright. I reckon you're right Teecee. Right, let's take this baby in."

And with that, they steered the Corvette into Rogue Station.

Little did they know that the people they had just suspected of being conned, were about to become a very big factor in their lives.

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"Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing a slight engine malfunction. We will stop off at Rogue Station to effect repairs." Came the voice over the announcer.

Shaak Ti rolled her eyes.

"Typical. The ship we get on breaks down. Sod's law."

Serra smiled.

"It could be worse. It could have conked us out in the middle of lightspeed. Force knows where we would have ended up."

Whie shuddered, and Serra grinned even more.

"What's Rogue Station like?" Scout asked.

"A hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious." Shaak Ti said.

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Rogue Station was certainly a hive of scum and villainy. Bounty hunters, mercenaries, guns for hire, ex soldiers, everyone came through Rogue Station. Shaak Ti led her little group through the dimly lit corridors, avoiding the looks she got from most of the denizens. She watched carefully, for any sign of a threat. This was not the sort of place to let your guard down. Then she felt it. She turned to meet the attack as the mercenary leapt out of an alcove, two thugs behind him.

Serra automatically went for her lightsabers, disguised as belt clips.

"No!" Shaak Ti shouted, as she kicked up, sending one thug flying.

Whie punched the merc in the gut, and then followed up with a kick. Meanwhile, Dyren got Zett and Sanna out of harm's way. Scout punched the other thug in the mouth, and he fell backwards, onto Serra's foot as she kicked up. Shaak Ti was finding it very hard not to use the Force to attack their attackers. Dyren ran into the battle, his fists crashing into the two thug's skulls. He then grabbed the first thug, bent his arm over backward, and then wrenched it out of it's socket. He then kicked the other thug over, cracking his head on the cool steel floor. He then crashed into the merc, who was getting the better of Shaak Ti, and punched him in the mouth. The merc swore and crashed his fist up, but Dyren caught it, twisting it round, it's owner with it. Dyren then yanked hard, pulling the arm out of the socket, and then finished the manoeuvre with a fierce kick that sent the man crashing to the floor.

Dyren dusted himself off, and smiled at the amazed glances of his companions.

"When you've got it you've got it."

Shaak Ti smiled.

"Most impressive. Most impressive indeed."

"Why did they attack us?" Zett asked.

"I don't know. Let's ask."

Shaak Ti jerked the merc awake.

"Why did you attack us?"

The merc glared at her.

"Not telling you nothing."

Shaak Ti sighed. Why did they always want to do things the hard way?

She used the Force.

"Tell me why you attacked us."

"We were ordered to." The merc said, the Force playing on his mind.

"Grobba the Hutt."

"And who is this Grobba?"

"The crime lord in charge of this sector."

"Doesn't have much to do. There is only this station."

"You don't know the half of it. Drugs. Vice. Slaves. Profit. A lot of stuff comes through Rogue Station. And he controls all of it."

Shaak Ti was liking the sound of this Hutt less and less.

"And why did he order us attacked?"

"Two reasons. One, you're new here, so you should be easier to get to. And two, he knows what you are."

Shaak Ti sent an alarmed glance at the others.

"What are we?"

"I don't know. He just told us to attack you. So, we did."

Shaak Ti frowned, then waved her hand.

"Take a nap."

The merc started to snore, and she looked at the others.

"We may be compromised. Come. We need to find a way of this station. If they find out we're Jedi, with the bounty placed by the Empire and by Ventress on my head, I'll have the entire station after me."

She led them away from the three mercs, and looked for a way off this station.

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Syron and his crew sat in the Drunk Dug, the main bar on the hangar level. They were engaged in conversation with Fera, the lady who owned the bar.

"Why's that tramp freighter here?" Vella asked.

"Engine failure."

"Where were they headed?" Teecee asked.

Unlike many bars, droids were allowed in here, provided they kept to themselves.

"Nar Shaddaa. If they hadn't stopped here, they'd be stuck in hyperspace."

"Poor guys. Must be rough. No doubt Grobba's mugged them all already." Vella said.

"Yep."

"Is there still no pay?" Syron asked.

Fera looked at him sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, but no. So, is that two runs he hasn't paid you for?"

Syron snarled.

"Yeah, two runs, the _Blade_'s low on supplies, we're short on cash, and the fat slug's not paying up."

The people around them in the red lit bar went silent.

"Keep your voice down. we may have an Emperor in the larger galaxy, but Grobba's the Emperor here. Keep quiet." Fera said.

(Why doesn't he pay us?) Softy the Wookiee asked.

Softy was the best friend you could find anywhere. He was tough, loyal, and always there in a pinch. And he was a big sap, expect when someone threatened his friends. He had become a friend of Syron ten years before, when Syron was just starting out. Syron had saved him from a pirate gang, and softy had in turn saved him from a mad smuggler. They had been inseparable since.

"I don't know, but I do know this. None of the regulars, who all bring in the stuff he wants, the drugs, the weapons, the slaves…"

"We don't deal in slaves." Vella spat.

"I know. What I'm saying is that his most frequent customers, in other words, people like you, aren't getting paid at all."

"We're only bringing in Arkanian Salt and a few military surplus items." Teecee complained.

"Albeit that are quite capable of blasting this miserable place apart." Vella said.

"Yes, but no one's getting paid. Know wee Ryifty?"

"The Toydarian? Yeah, why?"

"Well, as you know, him and his gang only bring in food. They haven't been paid yet either."

"Who has been paid?" Syron asked.

"No one." Fera said, as she fixed them all another drink.

The atmosphere was quiet tonight. Only the station's regulars, and the few folk unfortunate enough to live here. The air was still filled with smoke and red light though.

"Well, if he doesn't sort it soon, he's going to have a rebellion on his hands." Vella warned.

(What is he doing with his money?) Softy asked.

"That's the question. And I know the answer. For some strange reason, Grobba's hiring every thug, bounty hunter, mercenary and gun-for-hire on the station."

"What for?" Syron asked curiously.

"Who knows." Fera said.

Syron frowned.

"He's scamming everyone, and while he's doing that, he's paying all the thugs this place has to offer. What's he got up his slimy sleeve?" Teecee asked.

"Good question."

Vella looked to the door, to see a Togruta enter, with a bunch of humans in tow.

Fera tapped the two smugglers on the arm. She didn't do it to Softy, as he growled at her.

"That female, along with her human friends, thrashed three of Grobba's thugs. Two of them have dislocated arms, the other had his head split open."

Softy howled in appreciation.

"Good for her. Who is she?"

"Dont know. Must be some kind of teacher. Those kids definitely aren't hers." Fera said.

"They might belong to the cute guy." Vella said.

"Or the even cuter girl." Syron whispered.

Fera rolled her eyes at Softy and Teecee, who shook their heads.

Then, the Togruta came over. Most of the others went to get a seat, while the oldest girl went to the toilet.

The woman sat down opposite them.

"I'll have a whisky." She said.

Syron smiled at her.

"I heard you and your friends beat up a couple of Grobba's thugs."

The Togruta turned to him.

"Do you work for Grobba?"

"Yeah, we bring stuff in for him. Don't worry about it. He tries to mug everyone who comes through here."

"I hope you are right friend."

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Shaak Ti looked at the group at the bar with her. The leader was a man, of about thirty, wearing a black jumpsuit. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and a kind smile.

The woman next to him was very pretty. She had long blonde hair, vivid green eyes and a striking look.

There was a big Wookiee beside her, auburn and tough looking.

And last was a small 3PO unit, with a red shell.

Across from her was a pretty landlady, her hair elegantly done.

Her whisky arrived and Shaak Ti drunk it gratefully. Then, she felt a blaster pressed into her back.

She turned to see a tall, brutish man. He had a pockmarked face, grey hair, and a long scar ran from his temple to his cheek.

"Yes?"

The smugglers turned to see what was happening. Across the room Serra and Dyren were looking tense.

"Grobba wants to see you."

Shaak Ti raised her eyebrow.

"Why would I want to see him?"

The man smiled.

"You obviously don't know how things work around here. When Grobba wants to see you, you got to see him."

"If he had asked before he tried to have me mugged I might have agreed. However, I'm not feeling very gracious at the moment. Perhaps later."

She turned back to her drink. The bar was silent. No one had ever stood up to Grobba's thug like that before. The thug grinned, and then jabbed his blaster into her back. Shaak Ti sighed, took the vibroblade out of Vella's sheath, turned around and took off his hand.

He screamed in pain as he bled all over the floor. Silence surrounded them.

"If you ever try to come near me again, it will be your head that you lose. Clear?" Shaak Ti shouted.

"Perfectly." The thug whimpered.

"Good. Get out of here."

The man ran for the door. Shaak Ti nodded in satisfaction, cleaned the blade and gave it back to Vella.

"Thank you." She said graciously.

She turned to the landlady.

"Sorry about the mess."

Fera seemed astounded.

"That's alright. I've had him in here before. He's a right bit of sithspawn. A real bully. Good for you. Have a drink on the house."

Shaak Ti smiled pleasantly.

"Don't mind if I do."

Syron looked at the Togruta.

"That was brilliant."

"Thank you. Scumbag. Now, I need a hotel. What's the best place?"

Before anyone could answer, several things happened in quick succession. A gas grenade entered the bar and exploded, surrounding them all with fumes. There was a scream and people swearing, as someone was carted off from the toilets. And then, someone screamed even more.

Shaak Ti cleared some smoke away, to see Whie and Serra standing there white faced.

"They've taken Scout!" Serra wailed.

"No…"

"Scout? The girl?" Syron asked, but was drowned out by the screaming.

"Yes the girl. Oh no, I failed her. What if they find out who she is? What if…?"

Fera patted her back.

"You'll get her back."

Shaak Ti blinked tears from her eyes.

"You don't understand. There's more at stake than you can know. But I let her get caught. I failed her."

"No you didn't. We'll get her back." Serra said.

"Master…" Whie said.

Shaak Ti glared at the boy, but he didn't notice. He was pointing at the viewport. Shaak Ti gulped.

Two Imperial Star Destroyers had just dropped out of lightspeed. And they were coming straight for the station.

**Oh oh. now what? Scout's been kidnapped and theres two Star Destroyers bearing down on us. what happens next? Read on to find out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

3

Shaak Ti grimaced in fear. Two Star Destroyers. That's all they needed.

"Right, what passes for the law around here?" she asked.

"Unofficially Grobba, but officially, three brothers who hate Grobba and get on his bad side at every opportunity." Ferra said.

"Thank you. Now, I must find Scout. Excuse me."

She left, her party following her.

"Poor woman. She looked really worried." Vella said.

"Who can blame her? Two Imperial Star Destroyers are bearing down on Rogue Station. We should all be worried." Syron complained.

"She moved hell of a quick. What do you reckon's up?" Teecee asked.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, its got something to do with the people she has with her. That's why she was so worried when the Destroyers appeared."

"And now what do we do?" Vella asked.

"Softy will go to the ship and get her ready for lift off at a moments notice. We'll take shifts." Syron said.

Softy headed to the hangars.

"You reckon that woman will find the girl?"

"Considering what she did to that thug, I'd say yes."

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Shaak Ti led her group through the dingy corridors of Rogue Station. She had never been so worried. It was all very well escaping the Empire at Coruscant, but they hadn't expected to have to fight them again here. And if the Hutt turned Scout over to the Empire, they would just destroy Rogue Station.

"Time is of the essence." Shaak Ti said softly.

They stopped at the first hotel they saw. It was a small dingy place, with faded colours and blaster holes all over the walls. The interior smelled strongly of smoke, and the letters were hanging off the wall.

"Lovely place." Shaak Ti said, before heading to the Dug cashier.

"Yes?" he demanded.

"I need a single room, for all of us, plus one more when I find her."

"Six hundred credits."

Shaak Ti was sure she had misheard.

"Sorry?"

"Six hundred credits."

She hadn't misheard.

"WHAT?"

"Six hundred credits. You got a problem hearing?"

Shaak Ti glared at the Dug. It would take all they had left.

"That's spaceway robbery."

Dyren stood in front of her, and used a Jedi mind trick.

"Our room will be free of charge."

"Your room will be free of charge."

"You will not tell anyone we are here."

"I wont tell anyone youre here."

"Have a nice day."

"Have a nice day!"

Shaak Ti shot him a look.

"Impressive. Now, let's try and find the law around here."

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The law was a small office on the fifth floor. Inside were three diminutive men, all of whom were very concerned when Shaak Ti told them of Scout's kidnap.

"We'll help you get them deary." The man said.

"Grobba's dangerous. We'll help get your girl back no matter what."

Shaak Ti smiled as they left the office. She was worried about Scout however. The girl wasn't particularly strong in the Force and with the Empire moving in, things could get very dicey. If the Hutt sold her…

She shuddered. They would get her back. Their own lives depended on it.

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Whie was sick with worry. Scout was still missing. He was the one who best understood her., she may not be strong in the Force, but she had where it counted. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her. And…

He shook his head. And there was the fact that he cared for her. It had started as a crush on that mission to Vjun with Master Yoda. But since then, the two had spent a lot of time with each other. They had become best friends. Perhaps more than best friends. He did care for her. The problem was, that he was falling in love with Scout. It was ridiculous at his age, but he knew with clear certainty that he was falling in love. So he would get her back. The others might all give up, not that they would, or die, but he would get her back. Alone if he had to.

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"Where are you taking us?" Dyren asked.

"To Grobba's place. If what you say is true, and he's started kidnapping children, we need to stop him." The leader said.

Shaak Ti then felt it.

"Carhac."

"What?" Serra asked.

"The guy who murdered those people?" Zett asked.

"Yes. He's here."

As she said those words, a Republic gunship landed on the station and disgorged troops, Carhac at the head.

Then she felt it.

"He's here. Vader."

The others paled.

"Here?"

"Carhac must have known we were here. He's going to take over the station. And he's brought Vader along with him."

She turned to the three security guards.

"We need to get to Grobba, and then leave this place. We have little time."

The guards nodded. Then, the voice cut over the comm.

"This is Clone Commander Carhac to Rogue Station. At this precise moment, there are seven Jedi on board this station. Unless they are dead, or captured, in an hour, there will be consequences."

Serra gulped.

"And I can imagine what those consequences are." Dyren said grimly.

"You're the Jedi?" the deputy asked.

Shaak Ti looked at the others, the nodded.

"Yes."

The three men looked worried.

"That's not good. Now, you'll have that garrison force after you."

"And every single thug, merc or bounty hunter on this station is going to be after you."

Shaak Ti gulped.

"We're doomed."

**Carhac again. Now, what are the consequences? Why has Grobba taken Scout? And will the Jedi get off the station? Next chapter will reveal!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

4

Darth Vader, the newly christened Dark Lord of the Sith stood on the bridge of the _Exactor_. He had given Clone Commander Carhac an hour to find the Jedi on board the station. If not, Vader would destroy the station and be done with it. He surveyed the station through the viewport. A wretched place. But, it was the Jedi he was interested in. He would go in after them himself, but he was still not recovered after his fight with Master Tsui Choi, Bultar Swan and their confederates. He watched as the _Revenge_, the other new _Imperator _class Star Destroyer went around to face the station head on. The Jedi inside would soon be destroyed. And then Vader could go back to his purpose: finding and killing Obi Wan Kenobi.

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No sooner were the words out of the man's mouth when a man who had been passing looked at the little group.

"Did you say you were a Jedi?" he asked greedily.

"No." Shaak Ti lied.

"You did! Boys! This is the Jedi they want! Let's open up!"

Shaak Ti grimaced.

"I believe the words 'oh' and 'bugger' come in around now."

The mercs opened fire. There were twelve of them, and Shaak Ti didn't have time to fight. If the clones heard…

The Jedi began to deflect the shots back at their owners, as the security guards led the way forward. Thugs were coming from all angles, left, right and centre, all with the clear purpose of saving Rogue Station and earning a nice reward in the process.

"Master, we cant keep this up!" Serra shouted as she blocked two shots from hitting Zett.

"I agree. Offensive tactics!"

She sprang at the first leader and sliced right through him. She then kicked out, knocking the next two in line to the floor. She then force pushed another two as they came from an alcove.

"How many are there?" Dyren asked in amazement.

"An entire station?" Whie suggested as he killed another thug.

"Master Jedi! This way!" the security men shouted.

She shrugged and sliced a Duros in half, then fought her way over. She looked at the odds facing them. Thirty six thugs, and counting. Not good odds. She entered the lift with the others and sighed in relief as the door shut.

"They'll be waiting for you at the other end. Be ready." The leader said.

Shaak Ti sighed. She looked at her charges in concern. They weren't ready for this. In fact, aside from Serra, she was probably the only one who could really hold her own in a fight. Dyren was just too new. She pursed her lips in anxiety. She had already failed Scout. She would not fail the others.

The door flew open, and they were met by a storm of blasterfire. Shaak Ti leapt out of the car, and sliced through the first two thugs. She could hear the others parrying bolts behind her as she led the way up the corridor, slicing apart mercs like dolls. Limbs and body parts flew everywhere as her blue lightsaber cut into her attackers. She kicked one man in the throat, and then used the Force to wrench down a light. The men were trapped underneath as she sliced her way through her enemies. They reached the end of the corridor.

"It's a dead end!" Shaak Ti yelled.

The lead man thudded his shoulder against the wall, and a door opened. The room beyond was filled with thugs. And at the end of the room was a Hutt.

"Grobba."

Shaak Ti entered the room, the others following behind her.

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Carhac smiled. The thugs on the station would do their job for them. He established a link with Lord Vader.

"Lord Vader."

"Yes Commander?" the Sith's deep voice came over the comm.

"The station is in a riot. Many thugs are trying to intercept the Jedi, but are failing."

Vader was silent for a minute.

"Commander, a Jedi must always help the innocent. I have changed my mind. We will destroy Rogue Station anyway. As they run past you, kill them all."

Carhac smiled at the thought of such slaughter.

"With pleasure sir."

"Do you know who the Jedi is?"

Carhac nodded.

"No other than Jedi Council member Shaak Ti."

Vader was taken aback.

"Then good luck to you commander. You'll need it."

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Vader established a connection with Coruscant, the centre of Galactic Government, now renamed Imperial Centre in honour of the new Galactic Empire.

But it was his master that Vader wanted to speak to.

The connection yielded a blue face with two vestigial horns.

"Lord Vader." Mas Amedda said respectfully.

"Amedda. Put me on to the Emperor please."

"He is busy Lord Vader."

Vader, not unaccustomed to political wrangling, snarled, and raised his hand. Amedda's hand went to his throat as he tried to figure out why he couldn't breathe properly.

"Put me onto the Emperor."

Amedda, struggling for air nodded, and Vader released him of the Force choke. His master's face appeared the next minute.

Emperor Palpatine was the ultimate ruler of the galaxy, and was also the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. He had engineered the plot that had brought about the downfall of democracy, the Republic and the Jedi Order, putting the galaxy back into Sith control for the fist time in one thousand years. His face was disfigured, a relic of his battle with Mace Windu, with hideous scarring as evil yellow eyes. His face was covered with a cowl and he looked impatient.

"My master."

"Lord Vader. What is it? Is it your injuries?"

"No master. I'm at Rogue Station. There's a Jedi on board it."

Sidious rolled his eyes.

"Lord Vader, I've already told you that the Jedi are of no threat to us anymore. Their order is scattered, divided and leaderless. They cant harm us now. And if you called just to tell me you had found a Jedi, I will not be very pleased."

Vader kept his anger in check. Palpatine could say all he wanted about the Jedi not being able to threaten the Empire, but Vader would only believe him when all the Jedi were dead.

"This Jedi could be a threat."

"How is he different from any other Jedi Lord Vader?" Palpatine asked impatiently.

Vader knew the Emperor was humouring him.

"It's a woman for a start."

Palpatine was growing angry now.

"Don't play smart Vader."

"And she's a Council member."

That changed the Emperor's tune.

"What?"

Vader realised too late what he had done. There were only two women on the Council at the time of the Great Jedi Purge. One was confirmed dead with Order 66. It had been Vader's job to destroy the other. He hadn't told his master that Shaak Ti had escaped him.

"Shaak Ti…escaped during Operation Knightfall."

"WHAT?"

"And now she's here."

"I will deal with this later Lord Vader. If she's on that station, destroy it!"

"Yes my master."

Vader signed off before he got into anymore trouble.

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Shaak Ti walked up to the Hutt.

"Master Jedi." He sneered.

"Master Ti!"

Shaak Ti turned to be hugged by Scout.

"I thought you wouldn't come." The girl said softly.

"Of course we would dear. I wasn't going to let you go without a fight."

Scout turned to Whie and he hugged her tightly. Shaak Ti faced the Hutt.

"As you haven't harmed her, I assume you wanted to talk to me."

"Very observant. I have gone to great lengths to get you here."

"And why did you want to get me here?"

"Two reasons. One I wanted to see what your plans were for these Dark Times. The second, I wanted you to help me stop the impeding Imperial attack on this station, which is my kingdom."

"Well, I haven't decided what to do yet, so that answers your first question. And as to the second, why should I help you, when you've had your thugs try and attack me ever since I arrived?"

The Hutt moved out from the shadows. He was small and slight, but a sickly yellow colour, unlike most Hutts. His Majordomo wasn't the traditional Twi'lek but a large, shadowy Defel.

Shaak Ti suddenly noticed how many thugs were in this room. Bothans, Duros, Sullastans, Quarren, Gamorreans, Weequay, Klatoonians and other species all armed to the teeth all surrounded the small party of Jedi. If things went tits up, things would go down hill very fast indeed.

"My kingdom matters the most to me. If I do not stop the Empire, I will suffer what you have: a loss of power and influence and then hitting rock bottom. And I do not want that to happen. Seeing it happen to Jedi scum is quite enough."

Shaak Ti narrowed her eyes in intense dislike of this Hutt who had made life very difficult since they had arrived here.

"Well, I'm here now. But you have no choice of stopping the Empire. You heard the announcement. Unless we're given up in the next fifty minutes, they destroy the station."

Then, fifty minutes too early, a turbolaser blast hit the station.

"Scum!" Grobba yelled.

Shaak Ti looked outside to see the two wedge shaped Star Destroyers letting loose with their green lasers.

"Tell the Empire to hold off the attack! And get that Jedi!"

Shaak Ti sighed.

"I believe the term rhymes with 'clucking bell'."

Her lightsaber was in her hand in an instant, cleaving its way through three torsos. Serra's two blades sliced apart four attackers, while Dyren, the guards and the Padawans kept enemy blasterfire to a minimum. The Hutt was laughing as he watched the Jedi defend against the attacking thugs.

"I'll give three times everyone's else's pay to the one who kills that Jedi!" Grobba shouted.

The Defel bent in towards his ear.

"The Empire isn't stopping."

"Then get my ship ready launch you simpleton!"

Shaak Ti parried another two shots, then saw what was coming. A turbolaser blast had pierced the shield. And the one coming behind it would shatter the viewport. Grobba saw what was happening, slithered into a lift, and disappeared. Shaak Ti blanched in fear.

"Hold on!"

The bolt shattered the viewport and the air was sucked out with a whistling sound. The three guards went with it, while the Jedi hung on for dear life. Then Shaak Ti felt it. Carhac had started to murder innocents as they ran past him. Along with that, the Hutt's thugs through the station were attacking innocents too. Hundreds of thugs attacking all over the station, all trying in vain to stop the Imperial attack. Then, the station rocked violently. The Empire was going to destroy the station, and there was nothing they could do about it.

Shaak Ti could feel the people's fear as the bolts collided with the station, but it was her own situation that she was worried about. Then, she saw Grobba's hover platform. Using the force, she wrenched it towards the shattered viewport, temporarily blocking the air escape.

"Come!"

The Jedi team got out of the Hutt's den just before the platform was sucked outside too.

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Syron sighed as the station rocked.

"What do they think they're playing at? They gave us an hour to find the Jedi!"

"They must have got bored of waiting." Vella said.

They looked outside, to see the thugs firing at the fleeing people.

"What are they doing?" Ferra demanded.

"They're trying to draw the Jedi out." Teecee said as the station rocked again.

Ferra looked out of her grimy window to see people running for the hangars, but being gunned down by thugs and clones as they made their way there.

"This is butchery!" Vella said weakly.

The station rocked once again, blowing up several lights.

(Reckon they'll stop if the Jedi is given up?) Softy growled.

"No. They want to destroy the station." Teecee stated.

"Signal the _Blade _to get ready. We're leaving." Syron said.

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Shaak Ti sliced through another thug as yet another mob of them tried to catch them.

"Vader and Carhac knew this was coming. And Grobba knew how they would react. They've been manipulated into doing their work for them. And it's them who'll pay the price."

A blast knocked a massive chunk into the station, sending bodies flying outwards. The station didn't have much longer left. Another shot sent them all reeling.

"We don't have time to murder our way to the hangars! That's if there will be any hangars left by the time we get there!" Whie yelled.

Shaak Ti unleashed another Force shockwave, blasting the thugs away from them and ran down the corridor, to see people fleeing towards the exits of the station. Ships were beginning to leave, but none of them were full. Meaning that hundreds of people would die. All because Carhac was too lazy to do the job himself.

Scout watched in alarm as below them Carhac blasted apart an innocent family.

"Master!"

Shaak Ti never got to her in time, as another blaster bolt blew open a hole in the station window. Scout dropped down and attacked the clones. Shaak Ti followed, the others in tow. Carhac laughed as he shot down a small toddler. Shaak Ti blasted him with a Force push, and then turned to decapitate several clones. It was no use. Then another blast rocked the station. Firing off another force push, she led the others away from the clones and their carnage, heading towards the hangar levels. The station rocked, and then started to move. The orbital stabilisers were gone.

"Schutta." Shaak Ti swore.

They turned another corner to be overwhelmed by blaster fire. Thugs and clones had now joined together, despite the fact that the station was dying. The thugs still thought that the Empire would spare their homes if they got the Jedi. Another blast rocked them and sent them tumbling to the ground. This was not good. They needed to escape. Preferably in the next five minutes. Shaak Ti then looked up to see Syron and the others.

"Hey, you found your girl!" Syron exclaimed, as the fires started to spread.

The station was dying, and this was not the time for pleasantries.

"Master!"

The clones and thugs were firing at them again. The lightsabers were blurs as they deflected the shots back at their enemies.

"You're the Jedi?" Vella asked.

"Afraid so."

The smugglers whipped out their blasters and started firing at the thugs and clones. There was no time for this. The clones stopped firing at them and ran up the corridor, killing people as they fled.

"They're just murdering everyone!" Ferra yelled in fright.

Then a blaster bolt sliced through her chest, and she dropped to the floor.

"Ferra!" Syron yelled.

Shaak Ti turned to see Carhac standing behind them.

"you will pay for that."

With that Shaak Ti blasted him with a force push that sent him flying down the corridor.

Syron blinked tears out of his eyes, but Softy grabbed him.

(We need to go.)

"You need a lift?" Syron asked.

"Yes, we do."

"Then come with us." Vella said.

They led the way, thugs still firing at them, though most had now fled to their own ships. Outside ships of all sizes were flying away from the ailing station. There was then a massive explosion.

"What the?"

"That was the main reactor. We need to leave!" Teecee shouted.

That was it for the station. Turbolaser blasts kept coming but it was too late to do any more damage. The dirt covered and body littered corridors were now burning. Fires sprang up everywhere. Sparks flew out all over the place. Holes opened in the floor. They entered the hangar to find a Corellian Corvette by the name of _Silver Blade_.

"Let's go!"

Then the door was blown apart as a last squad of clones started firing.

"Get us out of here alive Softy!" Syron yelled as he entered the ship.

The Jedi deflected the shots and then entered their ride. The clones were then killed by a bout of fire from the ship's guns. Shaak Ti entered the bridge where Syron and Vella were lifting the ship out of the hangar.

The Star Destroyers fired one final round. The fuel cells exploded and the blast consumed the station.

"Woah!"

Syron then shot the ship forwards out of the hangar as the station collapsed into flame behind them. They looked as the burnt out hulk of Rogue Station suddenly detonated, spraying debris all over space.

"Grobba!" Vella snarled.

She was pointing to a Hutt cruiser, similar to a Sail Barge, backed up by two ships that looked life skiffs. Many ships were attacking the Star Destroyers to little avail.

Then, a voice cut across the comm.

"This is Darth Vader to all attacking forces. If you break off your attack now and attack that Corellian Corvette, I will personally pay you all for the losses you have suffered."

"Ah." Shaak Ti said as the small armada, backed up by the Star Destroyers headed straight for them.

"How hot are you?" Vella demanded as she gunned the engines.

turbolaser blasts filled the space around them, bolts of all colours. The ship shuddered as missiles were fired at them, as Syron wove the ship in and out of the attacks. A particuarly vicious blast hit the back of them, knocking them all off balance.

This was going to be the end unless they did something soon.

The ships were firing their lasers at the Corvette when Grobba cut through.

"Damn you Jedi witch! You made me lose Rogue Station! You will pay for this!"

"Go to hell!" Shaak Ti yelled.

Syron grimaced as the ships came too close for comfort. Arc 170s and V-wings sped up and down, taking potshits at the ship, causing a lot of damage when they hit.

"Can you get us out of here?"

"Just one more minute!"

A blast rocked the ship, and that was it. The Star Destroyers had closed in on them, and it was time to leave.

"Let's go!"

Syron pulled back the lever, and the ship shot into lightspeed.

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Vader watched as the last of the pirate ships leapt away into hyperspace. Carhac came up to him.

"We nearly had her Lord Vader."

"It's of little concern. She will go and find the darkest hole she can find, and then we'll help bury her there."

**Shaak Ti's escaped for now. So, Vader is after her, and so is Commander Carhac. an evil git alright. Hope you like. Next chapter wont be long. By the way, Grobba's cruiser is basically Jabba's sail barge and its skiffs. Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

5

The _Silver Blade _shot away from Rogue Station, leaving Vader and Grobba far behind.

Shaak Ti was exhausted. Having to kill her way through the station had taken it out of all of them, and watching Carhac and the thugs mercilessly murder innocent people had drained them. They sat in the lounge room of the Corvette, a small but well furnished affair.

Syron Talo, the captain of the ship, was a medium man in his late twenties. He had blond streaks through his brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He was dressed in a black jumpsuit, and had a thin scar from his lip to his chin.

Vella Harn was a good looking woman with a head of blond hair and a friendly smile. She had deep green eyes, and she was the lover of Syron, and was the comms and engineering expert for the ship.

Softy, or Softamataru, was a large auburn Wookiee with large hair arms and a belt and a bandolier. Shaak Ti knew that this Wookiee was a very good one to be friends with: loyalty burned from him like a sun.

Teecee was a red 3P0 unit. His yellow photoreceptors glowed brightly. But Shaak Ti could tell that he had been illegally modified.

And last was a small purple R2 unit, quite like the one Mace Windu had had, called Rox.

"Why did you save us?" Serra asked.

Syron sat down opposite Shaak Ti and looked at her.

"I don't really know. Probably because you were the only ones trying to stop them slaughtering everyone. And because you attacked that clone because of what he did to Ferra."

"Well, you have our thanks. And we're just sorry we couldn't stop them killing as many as they did."

Vella looked at her shrewdly.

"Was it you they were after?"

Shaak Ti looked at the others, received their confirming nods, then turned to their companions.

"I am Shaak Ti. A Jedi Master and former member of the Jedi Council. It was me they were after. Lord Vader seems to think that I'm a threat, more so than the Emperor."

"You're a Council member?" Teecee asked.

The R2 unit whirred.

"Yes."

"Then you can explain what happened. Did the Jedi try to overthrow the Republic?"

Shaak Ti sighed.

"No, and yes. As the war progressed, the Jedi became more and more wary of Palpatine and his growing power. We realised that he was becoming a dictator in all but name, and he was still asking for more power. We said that if he didn't give up his emergency powers after General Grievous was defeated, he should be removed from office.

However, we knew that the true Sith Lord, the one we had been searching for, was someone high up in the Republic government. We thought that they were influencing Palpatine. So, the Jedi were very wary. We knew there was a Sith Lord, but we were distrustful of Palpatine, so we sent one of the Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, to spy on him.

That was our mistake.

Palpatine revealed to Anakin that he was the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious. Palpatine had been working on Anakin for years, poisoning him against us and turning him away from his friends. And that was what sealed our fate.

The Jedi Council were the best fighters in the Order. However, many of them were away, and the Temple was nearly empty. Many Jedi were out on the field, with only a core force behind to look after the younglings.

Plo Koon, Ki Adi Mundi, Yoda, Obi Wan Kenobi and Stass Allie were all out on the field on different planets. Powerful masters such as Luminara Unduli, Tsui Choi, Tholme, Quinlan Vos and others were all out on the field too. There were only seven members of the Council on the planet.

We received word that Obi Wan had killed General Grievous. The war was over. Master Windu and the others went to make sure Palpatine made good on his promises and handed power back to the Senate now that the war was coming to and end.

That was when Anakin dropped the bombshell: Palpatine was a Sith Lord.

Master Windu knew that we had to act quickly if the Order was to survive. He left me and Coleman Kcaj in charge of the Temple, to look after the younglings and prevent Anakin from interfering, as he was very conflicted by now.

He then took Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin and Kit Fisto with him to arrest the Supreme Chancellor on charges of high treason.

However Anakin, who was afraid that Palpatine would die, got past me and went after them.

If I had been paying attention, the Jedi Order might not have fallen, but I was too concerned with a premonition from the Force to worry about Anakin. I thought he was going to help Mace.

I was wrong.

Mace, Agen, Saesee and Kit burst into the Chancellor's office and declared that he was under arrest. Then, Palpatine revealed himself to be the Sith Lord. Revealing his lightsaber, he attacked the masters.

Now, only three people of this generation have fought a Sith Lord and lived to tell the tale. Qui Gon Jinn fought one on Naboo, but he perished. Obi Wan Kenobi fought and killed the one on Naboo, but he was away on Utapau, dealing with General Grievous, so he was of no use. Anakin Skywalker fought Count Dooku on Geonosis and on the _Invisible Hand_, but he could no longer be counted on as he was so conflicted. And the only other one was Master Yoda, who was away on Kashyyyk and of no help to anyone.

So, four Jedi Masters of great repute now had to fight a Sith Lord, the most powerful one ever as far as we know, without any experience. Out of the lot of them, only three of them had duelled Dark Jedi, which was the only thing that came close to a Sith. Agen Kolar had duelled Quinlan Vos on Nar Shaddaa, Kit Fisto had duelled Asajj Ventress on Ord Cestus and Mace Windu had duelled Asajj Ventress on Ruul.

Palpatine, being the most powerful Sith the Jedi had ever fought, was too quick for them. He murdered Agen Kolar in five seconds, and Saesee Tiin in ten. Kit Fisto put up some fight, but he was killed too, leaving Mace to fight him alone. Master Windu defeated Palpatine, and was about to finish him when Anakin arrived.

Palpatine tried to convince Anakin that the Jedi were trying to take over, but Anakin didn't want to believe him. Then, Palpatine attacked Mace with force lightning. The two fought each other, Mace gaining the upper hand. Mace decided Palpatine was too dangerous to leave alive, and prepared to kill him.

However Anakin said he needed Palpatine. Mace didn't listen. He raised his blade, and then Anakin sliced off his arm. Palpatine regained his strength and used his force lightning to knock Mace out of the window and to his doom.

Palpatine then christened Anakin Darth Vader, and let him lead an assault on the Jedi Temple. Jocasta Nu, Olana Chion and others were all killed. That was where we all were at the time. Coleman Kcaj was killed, making me the only Council member still on Coruscant. I had no choice but to escape to fight another day. So, I nursed this lot back to health, and then laid low for a fortnight, and then we went on the run.

While Anakin attacked the Temple, Palpatine contacted all the clone commanders. He gave Order 66. We've since found out that it had been hardwired into the clones as a last resort order. The clone commanders turned on their Jedi generals, killing most of them. Ki Adi Mundi, Plo Koon, Stass Allie, Luminara Unduli, Barriss Offee, Aayla Secura and many more were struck down by the troops they had commanded.

So, now the Jedi are scattered, divided and leaderless, one percent of what we once were, and in exile or in hiding.

So, you tell me, did we try to overthrow the Republic?"

Syron shook his head.

"You were doing what you thought was best. Palpatine just outsmarted you all."

"I've noticed."

Vella looked at her in sympathy.

"So, where do you want to go?"

Shaak Ti sighed.

"The original plan was to go to Nar Shaddaa, but with a massive bounty on my head from Ventress, Vader and undoubtedly Grobba by now, I say we need to go somewhere where we can lose ourselves."

Syron shook his head.

"What chance do you have on your own? We'll take you wherever you want to go, just say the word. And we'll even knock of the price of this little trip."

Shaak Ti smiled at him.

"Thank you. Thank goodness the Jedi still have friends. Where are we going?"

Syron grinned.

"Kessel. We've got a spice shipment to deliver."

"Very well. Thank you for your kindness."

"You deserve it. You were the only ones standing up to those murderers. The only one who fought Carhac. And I met Saesee Tiin. I liked him, and he spoke highly of you. So, I'll look after you until you can find your own way."

Softy yowled his agreement.

"Thank you."

"Vella will set you up with quarters. Then you cans see what you want to do."

With that, Vella led the Jedi from the room.

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Vella sat down in her chair in the cockpit of the red and white Corvette.

"Poor souls. They didn't deserve what happened to them." Vella said.

"Yeah, I know. And she seems nice enough. It must be rough on her though. She went from being at the top of the food chain all the way down to the bottom. Must be especially hard on the kids. And on her, as she has to watch the kids."

Vella started rubbing his back as he monitored the controls.

"Where will we drop them off?"

"Wherever they want dropped off. They were the only ones who fought the thugs and clones. They were the only ones who tried to avenge Ferra. And they've been through enough."

Vella smiled.

"She seems tough. She'll get over it. And until we part ways, we'll look after her."

"Yeah."

"But, the problem is, we've helped get Jedi away from the Empire. We could get into a lot of trouble."

Syron looked at her, then kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, but you never turn down someone in need. And, I just have a feeling that good things will come from saving her."

Vella raised her eyebrow.

"Like the other ones you've had?"

"Yeah. And were they ever wrong?"

"One was. You had a feeling we'd never be together."

Syron grinned evilly.

"I lied about that one."

"Di'kut."

She kissed him, and he laughed.

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Shaak Ti thanked Teecee, then sat on the bed, dimming the lights as she did so. They were very lucky to have found such kind and well meaning people as they had. There was something about them all…

She sat on the bed, and crossed her legs, steadying her breathing and immersing herself into the Force so she could meditate. Outside, the others were socialising with the crew. But she needed space to think.

Then, she was swept up into the currents of the Force. She was on Coruscant. Darth Sidious, with a feral snarl, peat at her, lightsaber in hand. She watched as he plunged his sword into Agen Kolar's chest, slashed Saesee Tiin across the waist, battled and then killed Kit Fisto. She watched as he hurled force lightning at Mace Windu, his arm cut off by an amazed Anakin, and as Palpatine threw Mace out of the window.

It changed. She watched as Anakin stabbed Master Kcaj through the chest. She watched as Serra was crushed by a pillar, as Cin Drallig was sliced into and left to die, as children were cut to ribbons by a blue lightsaber.

Then, she noticed she had changed planet. She was on Mygeeto. She saw Ki Adi Mundi turn to face his clones. Order 66 came through and they fired at him. While he stopped a few shots, it wasn't enough and he dropped to the ground.

She was now on Felucia. She watched in despair as Aayla Secura was shot from behind by Bly and her other clones. She then watched as an AT-TE fired at Barriss Offee.

She was now on Saleucami. She watched as clones dropped behind Stass Allie and let loose with their cannons, destroying the Jedi.

She then changed to Kashyyyk, and saw a clone fire at Luminara Unduli, dropping her to the ground. Then she watched as a Juggernaught fired at Quinlan Vos, sending him flying away in flames.

She then changed to Cato Nemodia, where she saw clones fire at Plo Koon's fighter, sending it to its doom.

She felt the emotions, woe, despair, apology, confusion, glee and anger barrage her.

Then, the vision changed. She watched as alien species of all sorts, Wookiees, Toydarians, Rodians, Gran, Dug, Duros and all other types of species were oppressed by the Empire. Their rights were taken away, and a high human culture was developed. This racism had to stop!

But then the vision changed again. She watched as millions of stormtroopers marched throughout the Empire, carrying out the Emperor's will. They were an extension of his will as they marched across the galaxy, killing as they went. There were more stormtroopers in the galaxy than there were planets.

It changed. Hundreds, thousands if not tens of thousands of Star Destroyers pierced the space of this galaxy, carrying more weapons of destruction. Some were as big as twenty kilometres, some were even bigger.

It changed once again. Now, millions of young men were taken to Imperial Academies and brainwashed, making them all willing to die for their Emperor. Children were seized from their parents and made into troops for the Emperor. Children were sent to their deaths, but when they died, they were seen as expendable.

The vision changed once again. She watched as Bothans sabotaged a planet's shields. Then, Star Destroyers opened fire from orbit, utterly obliterating all life on the planet. Shaak Ti gasped in pain, but then the vision changed.

A massive sphere in deep space, programmed with a deadly mission. It came into orbit over an ice planet and bombarded, utterly destroying all presence of the Jedi sanctuary on the surface.

Then a massive battle station, armed with a superlaser was constructed. As a test, it turned on the planet that had built it and destroyed them with a flick of a switch. It then moved to a beautiful world in the core, and with a blast from its superlaser, it was gone.

Then a massive station was pointed at a lava planet. It fired a blast and cracked the planet apart, allowing crystals to be mined.

Then, a plague was created that affected only aliens. Beings from all over the galaxy were struck down by this plague as it spread throughout Coruscant. A war started over the cure, brining yet more death.

Planets were under attack, turbolaser fire raining down on their surfaces, eradicating all forms of life.

A massive factory weapon was created, attacking a beautiful sea planet and churning all the debris into yet more weapons of war. Then, a once peaceful world was destroyed by a massive superweapon firing as a Star Destroyer crashed into it.

An ancient space city was blown apart by another missile, destroying years of history.

A tiny superweapon then detonated stars, murdering millions of people in one go.

The Empire was filled with murder, death, slavery and evil. That was what the Force was showing.

With a gasp, Shaak Ti crashed to the floor. She watched as Whie came in and helped her up. She took a deep, steadying breath, then turned to him.

"We must fight the Empire."

**So, there you have it. What the future holds. Master Ti has received a vision, and means to act on it. Good for her! If you dont know what any of the things foretold are, just ask. Hope you like. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

6

The _Silver Blade _dropped out of lightspeed at Kessel.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Syron asked.

"I'm fine. It was a force vision that took it out of me that's all. Nothing to get worked up over." Shaak Ti soothed.

"If you're sure. Come on, let's get down there. I hate being on Kessel." Vella said.

The ship streaked down from orbit and landed beside an abandoned mine. Shaak Ti, Vella, Syron, Serra and Whie went outside onto the dirty, barren surface of Kessel, breath masks on.

Kessel was an arid, spice filled world near Hutt space. It was a featureless desert, low on oxygen. It was used as a penal colony, where people were sent to hack out spice from all over the planet to sell all over the galaxy. Not a nice place in other words.

The smugglers contact was a small Rybet fellow by the name of Moruth Doole.

"Here, here!" Doole said anxiously.

"Ease up boy, what's the rush?" Syron asked as he took the containers from the agitated Rybet.

"What's in that mine, is what the rush is!"

No sooner had he received the payment than the fat little toad had disappeared.

"What in the name of the Force was that about?" Whie asked in amazement.

"It doesn't take much to agitate Doole, but that was weird even for him." Vella said in concern.

Softy took the crates inside, while Shaak Ti looked at the mine.

"We wont find out otherwise. Come on."

Syron looked at her incredulously.

"Doole may be a born coward, but that doesn't mean he exaggerates. Gods knows what could be in there."

"But we wont find out what it is otherwise. So I'm going. Come on you two."

Serra smiled at Syron.

"Don't worry. She was the maddest one on the Council, and they were all mad anyway. You'll get used to her."

Shaking his head in futility, Syron followed, the others in tow.

They entered the antechamber, to find Shaak Ti being violently sick. Then they saw why. Bodies. Eight of them. And they were all Jedi.

"By the Force…" Serra said, choking back tears.

Slowly, Shaak Ti advanced to the bodies. The first was of Koffi Arana, a black Jedi who was known for being very driven in his work. A hand with a blade in it was plunged into his heart. The glove looked like Vader's.

Next was a heavy door. Underneath, Shaak Ti blanched at the crushed form of Roblio Darte, a heavily bearded man, who had been shot several times.

Next was the body of a Nikto with a large saber wound up his chest. This was Ma'kis'shaalas.

Next, beside a large crane in the wrecked room, was a woman with a broken neck. Shadday Potkin. Shaak Ti knew in an instant that this was her doing. She didn't know how she knew, she just knew.

Near her was another woman with a hole in her chest and a hand missing. This was Sia-Lan Wezz, a Jedi Knight.

Beside her was the blue body of a Jedi named Jastus Farr. He also had many blaster wounds.

"What happened here?" Syron asked, as Whie walked over to another body.

Shaak Ti looked at the wrecked room, seeing her dead brothers and sisters. A terrible waste.

"Sad souls." She said in a choked voice.

This was obviously Vader's work.

"Master!" Whie yelled.

Shaak Ti ran over to the boy, who was looking upset and pale.

"What is it dear?"

"She's alive."

Shaak Ti looked down at the body. It was Bultar Swan, a Jedi Knight of repute. She could see that the woman's chest was rising and falling ever so slowly.

"Excellent!"

"Master Ti!"

Shaak Ti left Whie with Bultar and ran over to Serra, who was looking upset.

"He's alive too."

She looked at the body of Tsui Choi. He had many blaster wounds on him. How he had survived was a miracle that was to be examined later.

"This is wonderful!" Shaak Ti exclaimed happily.

More Jedi! And now Shaak Ti wasn't the only master.

"Master Ti!"

Shaak Ti looked across at Syron.

"I don't like the tone of his voice." She muttered.

"Clones."

Shaak Ti sighed.

"Why me?"

"A lot of them." Vella said.

Shaak Ti poked her head around the doorway. Twelve clones were coming.

"Go to the ship. Take Whie and Serra with you. Whie, Serra, use the Force to move Master Choi and Swan. Get them into a bacta tank immediately."

Vella looked at the two barely alive Jedi.

"Our bacta tank will keep them stable, and I'm pretty good with a scalpel: I had medical training back home on Tralus, but they'll need a lot more care than the bacta tank can give them. They might even need surgery. We cant give them that."

Shaak Ti nodded in understanding.

"Then we can take them to the med facility at our destination. Provided it has an aid station."

Syron grinned.

"We don't make a habit of coming to desolate spice worlds. Our next stop if Mon Calamari."

"Then that will serve. Now, take these four and go! I will deal with the clones."

The two smugglers ran ahead, leading the two Jedi as they used the Force to levitate the prone forms of their peers with them. The clone commander, in white and brown armour, spotted them.

"Hey!"

His squad raised his rifle. Then a blue beam of energy sliced through his neck. The rest of the squad looked in amazement as their leader dropped to the floor and his head rolled away. They raised their rifles, but it was too late. Shaak Ti leapt into motion, slicing two clones in half within a second. The others opened fire. She sprang over them, then reversed the blade, plunging it through another clone. She then force pushed two away from her, then cut upwards, cutting one man through the torso and the other through the head. The clones opened fire, deadly laser bolts coming at the Jedi Master. She deflected the shots back at their originators, killing two. Then one man jumped on her and brought her into the way of another clones line of fire. She snarled, and gathered the Force. The lightsaber sprang from her hand and plunged right through the lead clone, killing him before he fired. It then continued on its arc, cutting the other two men in half. She then plucked her blade from the air, and stabbed behind her, killing the last of them. All that had happened in two minutes.

"The Jedi are a lot harder to kill when they know who they're fighting."

She then ran for the ship.

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Shaak Ti watched as Vella dipped the two Jedi into a bacta tank.

"Thank you." Shaak Ti said.

"No problem. I don't know. The only one I might be able to help is Master Swan. I don't know enough about Aleena anatomy to be of help. And I don't know about Jedi recovery times. They may just do it themselves. We'd probably best leave them in the tank until we get to wherever we're going after Mon Calamari."

"Thank you for helping them. I promise we will try to take up as little of your time as possible."

An alarm blared.

"Zett, Senna, stay here while I go to the bridge and find out whats going on." Shaak Ti ordered as she followed Vella.

Serra was looking out the viewport as they crossed the lounge. Whie, Dyren and Scout however, seemed unconcerned as they watched the holovid.

The two entered the bridge.

"What is it Syron?" Vella asked as she sat down in her seat.

Syron didn't have to answer. Softy's vehement roar and violent gesturing were enough.

A Star Destroyer, by the name of _Exactor_.

"Vader." Shaak Ti snarled, her voice thick with hatred.

"Sorry Master Ti, but we don't have time for you to settle your differences now. If we jump now, we'll be fine." Syron said.

Syron calmly pulled the lever and sent the ship hurtling away into lightspeed.

_Soon Lord Vader_, Shaak Ti thought to herself.

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Vader looked out of the viewport of the _Exactor_. He watched as the _Silver Blade _sprang away into lightspeed. He sighed in frustration.

"Captain, calculate every possible location along their last known trajectory."

The captain nodded and waited for his officers to give them the information.

"It could be anywhere Lord Vader, but our best guess is that they are going to Mon Calamari."

Vader nodded.

"alert all planetary defence fleets and sector defence fleets in every possible sector that they could go to to be alert for the _Silver Blade_. Inform them that they are to be captured at all costs."

"Yes Lord Vader."

"Meanwhile, set your course for the Mon Calamari system."

**So, we're going to Mon Calamari now. And Tsui Choi an dBultar Swan are alive! Hooray! I like Tsui and I didnt want him to die, so thats why he was brought back. How he and Bultar managed to survive will be revealed later. So, who and what will be awaiting at Mon Calamari? Just wait and see!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

7

The _Silver Blade _arrived at Mon Calamari. Below them the blue world was spinning slowly, and it was surrounded by shipyards with Mon Calamari star cruisers under construction in them. Shaak Ti paused, causing Syron to look at her in concern.

"What is it?"

"There's great danger here. On the shipyards."

Syron grimaced.

"Please tell me it's not on MS3."

Shaak Ti stretched out into the Force.

"I could tell you it's not on MS3."

Syron relaxed visibly.

"But I'd be lying." Shaak Ti said in apology.

"Schutta."

Shaak Ti smiled.

"I take it your friend is on MS3?"

"Yeah, our contacts there. Typically."

Shaak Ti sat down in Vella's seat.

"What else is there? A med centre?"

Syron looked thoughtful.

"Yeah, but I would advise against it."

"What for?" Shaak Ti asked in surprise.

"Because its controlled by an Imp. He's that evil guy, the governor, Tarkin's great nephew once removed. He'd go to his uncle if he found a Jedi floating around."

"But Palpatine and Vader haven't broadcasted our images yet. They want to keep it quiet that a Jedi Council member escaped the attack."

"Yeah, but Master Swan and Choi's images are all over the place. The Empire's parading the fact that their dead, and if you want to keep a low profile, you don't bring Jedi into a med centre on a planet where the Empire has an interest."

"The shipyards." Shaak Ti said in futility.

"Yeah. But, you know the Mon Cals and the Quarren right? Look at their ships. Big beautiful ships, capable of serving as personal craft. Or…"

"As warships. You think Palpatine will want to stop them building cruisers?"

"It's possible. Look, you want to fight. What's to say there aren't more Jedi like you, or relatives of the Separatist Council or something? If they got their hands on a cruiser, it could be bad news."

Shaak Ti smiled.

"How do you figure that? They control the galaxy dear boy. One rogue Mon Cal cruiser wont bother them."

"Yeah, but if one cruiser fights, others might get the idea. The Imperial garrison here gets overthrown. Mon Calamari rebels. The allies of the Mon Cal and the Quarren all declare war on the Empire. Palpatine has a very large mess on his hands, and he cant just kill all those species, or people will notice."

Shaak Ti raised her hand.

"One problem. The planets that would ally with Mon Calamari are far away, and isolated. If not, they are part of a nearly totally Imperial supporting sector. It would be suicide to declare war."

Syron grinned.

"But how many Jedi gave themselves up for their ideals? How many Jedi sacrificed themselves in the war to ensure someone else's survival? How many died to ensure the survival of the Republic?"

Shaak Ti soured.

"All of them. Not that it mattered. The war was over before it had begun. We just didn't see it. The Republic wasn't worth it. It never was." She said venomously.

Syron looked at her sympathetically.

"I know Master Ti."

"Master!" Serra yelled.

"Syron!" Vella shouted.

"Can we stay here?"

"Yeah. Not many folk jump from Kessel to Mon Calamari. We'll be fine. Come on."

They found the others in the hold.

"What dear?" Shaak Ti asked.

Serra pointed to the news holo. She gasped. Star Destroyers. Clones. Darth Vader. They were all attacking a planet of massive trees. Wookiees were under attack and dying.

"They've attacked Kashyyyk!" she said in wonder.

"But Vader was at Rogue Station when it happened right?" Whie asked.

"No dear. The timings are out to hide the fact that Vader had to spend time recovering after his battle with Master Choi and the others. My stars. They're the enslaving the Wookiees. I don't believe it."

They watched as ships sped away from the planet, and as Wookiees were gunned down by clones, or sliced apart by Vader's crimson blade.

"How can they attack the Wookiees? They never did anything to harm anyone." Zett said.

"The Separatists and Trandoshans would disagree." Teecee said wryly.

Vella shot the humorous droid a dirty look. He appropriately bowed his head.

"Master!" Senna shouted.

Shaak Ti turned to see a Jedi facing off against Vader.

"Master Roan Shryne…" Dyren said.

"Sad soul. He wouldn't stand a chance against him."

They watched as the report explained how the planet was attack because of Wookiee links with insurrectionist Jedi.

"Terrible. The Wookiees." Syron said softly.

Softy roared in fury, vowing to rip Vader apart. Then Rox started whistling.

"What's eating him?" Zett asked.

Vella paled.

"Softy, you're about to get your chance. It's the _Exactor_. It's coming here to Mon Cal."

Softy roared in fury, vowing vengeance for his slain kin. He started swinging his arms around in rage.

"Softy, calm down! you wouldn't stand a chance against Vader!" Serra yelled.

Shaak Ti used the Force to clam the Wookiee.

"Softy, listen. Vader nearly killed me, Obi Wan and Serra. He killed Master Nu, Kcaj and Drallig. He is very powerful. We will not confront him yet. If he can kill a Jedi Master of Master Drallig's and Master Kcaj's skill, he is very powerful indeed. I promise we will fight him. And, if you wish it, you can come and fight him with us. But not now."

Softy, calmed, nodded.

"Good. How long until he arrives?"

"Half an hour."

"Long enough for us to get to MS3. Let's go."

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The ship landed on MS3 as planned.

"Right. I'll go to the bank and get some money out for us." Shaak Ti said.

"It's free until we leave." Syron said.

"I know that. But we do need money. I will go to the bank, you lot go and find your contact. Serra, stay here with the others. Look after the children."

"Yes Master Ti."

"Good girl. See you all later."

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She found the bank on the fourth level. Smiling, she used the Force to dart to the front of the queue. It was best not to tarry with Vader breathing down their necks. She was in front of a Gotal when she felt a familiar presence. Shaking the notion away, she went forward to the Quarren cashier.

"I want to exchange this into credits."

During the attack she had slipped into the treasury and stole the aurodium ingots. Now, she had twelve of them, more than enough to buy a small world.

"Force! Very well madam, as you wish."

Shaak Ti kept a careful eye on those around her, determined that no one would see her. The cashier filled out the form and handed over the money.

"Thank you. Now, I would like to take money from these accounts."

She slid a letter across the booth, and the cashier nodded. He entered the information, then cursed.

"It's been locked by order of the Empire. You cant get in I'm afraid."

Shaak Ti sighed and bent close.

"You can get through it and you will. The access code is: two-epsilon-four-beta-twelve-vargra-eight-alpha-Alderaan."

The Quarren entered it, and smiled as it opened.

"How much?"

"Three quarters of it."

The Quarren seemed flabbergasted.

"That's…!"

"A lot. Do so please."

He handed her the money. She smiled.

"Now, I'd like to take money out of another account. The code is: nine-Corellia-Tralus-seven-Xyquine-Coruscant."

The Quarren did so.

"How much?"

"A quarter."

He gave her the money.

"One last one. Code is: Zero-Zero-Zero-Twelve-Four Thousand- Forty Three- Five."

The cashier looked most excited. She smiled. No wonder. She had just accessed the Jedi Council account. He'd have a field day if he gave that information to the Empire.

"How much?"

"All."

She just hoped Yoda and Obi Wan had no more use of it.

"Thank you. Now, I would like to open an account."

"Under what name madam?"

She smiled. Oh, that would make your day, she thought savagely. You give the Imps information on a woman who just handed over aurodium ingots and took money out of Jedi accounts locked by the Empire, one of which a Council account, and you'd be made for life.

"Under the name Raana Tey. Even though I am nothing like her."

He did so, and she smiled.

"Now deposit all this money into that account."

He did so once again. Then she called on the Force.

"You will erase all records of this. You will forget all about it. You will not mention it to anyone."

The Quarren nodded dimly. Once he had done as asked, she left. The Quarren was recovered from the mind trick, having fulfilled her wishes and was serving someone else. She made sure to pass people entering the bank, always having a mind trick and a sentence ready for them.

"You will open a bank account today."

She grinned as she got outside. A last way to cover the tracks. Twelve poor people opening bank accounts to really confuse the Imperial Security Bureau. Now, she needed to find what that trouble was on the station.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Vader activated the comm to the sector commander. Governor Wellix Ceriss met his image with a bow.

"Lord Vader. How may I serve?"

"Governor Ceriss. I am here on an important mission for the Empire. There is a Corellian Corvette in system by the name of _Silver Blade._ I want you to detain and destroy it. Launch all your fighter squadrons."

"Lord Vader, for such a small ship, why such measures?"

Vader rolled his yes.

"Because it has an unfortunate habit of escaping. Deploy your fighters and summon your Star Destroyer. I will not let them escape this time. The ship carries Jedi Master Shaak Ti, and I intend to destroy her."

Ceriss nodded in understanding.

"Of course Lord Vader. Let me check the records, ah! That ship landed forty minutes ago Lord Vader. Four people got out, a Togruta, obviously the Jedi, two humans and a Wookiee."

Vader nodded in approval.

"Well done Governor. Where is Shaak Ti now?"

"We lost her Lord Vader. We normally ensure to keep an eye on all aliens if unaccompanied by humans, but she gave us the slip which is unfortunate."

Vader sighed.

"Well, what about her companions? Where did they go?"

"They were most curious Lord Vader. They smuggled a large amount of spice onto the station. We let them through in the hopes that it would let us bust open the ring."

"An admirable goal Governor. Where are they?"

"The bar on seven. Should I have them detained Lord Vader?"

"No. They will eventually go to Shaak Ti. Then you may strike. I will keep the ship at the edge of the system. When you are closing in, give the signal and I will cut off their escape route. Now, do you have enough soldiers?"

Ceriss nodded.

"Yes Lord Vader. My own forces are considerable, but another contingent arrived earlier today. A Commander Carhac. An evil sod if there ever was one."

Vader nodded.

"I know of Carhac. He is a good soldier, despite obvious flaws. Excellent. What's he doing there anyway?"

"Apparently he had a message from Governor Tarkin. He is to arrest Senator Meena Tills on the charge of treason."

"Excellent. Carry on Governor, and send me a message as soon as possible."

"Yes Lord Vader."

With a last bow, Ceriss ended the transmission.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Vella sipped her drink.

"Where's the _Exactor_? Rox is never wrong."

"Maybe they're at the edge of the system. Be just like Vader to jump on our heads when we're trying to leave." Syron moaned.

Their contact shuffled towards them.

"My friends. You have the spice?"

"Yes. Here."

They exchanged the spice for the money.

"Thank you. You best leave. There are many stormtroopers about."

Then a blaster bolt went right through his head. The three looked up to see five stormtroopers, or clones, in the door.

"Sithspit." Vella said.

"You are under arrest." They proclaimed.

With a casual motion, the three whipped out blasters, or in Softy's case a bowcaster, and fired and the clones, dropping them before they had a chance to get in the door.

"Party's over." Syron said.

"Definitely."

He looked at Vella. She was already trying to raise Shaak Ti.

"That's my girl. Always thinking."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shaak Ti answered her comm.

"What is it?"

"We've been rumbled. Clones are everywhere." Vella said.

Shaak Ti laughed grimly.

"They haven't stopped running past since I left the bank. Something's wrong dear. I feel it."

"Well, we've just killed five of them. Where are you?"

"Same floor as the bank. I'm heading back to the ship."

Then she felt a familiar presence. It was Senator Meena Tills. And he was in danger.

""I've found the danger. Senator Tills is here."

"The Mon Cal senator? I thought he was alright." Syron said.

"He is, but for how much longer I don't know. Now, let me concentrate."

She felt the currents of the Force and swore.

"The Empire is going to arrest him for treason. He escaped custody on Coruscant and came here, probably to go into hiding."

"What are we going to do?" Syron asked.

"I'll go and help Senator Tills. You three get back to the ship."

Softy growled.

"He wants to know if Tills is worth it." Syron explained.

"Yes. Anyone who can be an ally is worth it. I will try my…"

She then felt another familiar presence. A darker one than Senator Tills. She swore.

"What?" Syron asked.

"Carhac. He's here."

"Uh oh. Time to go then."

"Right, get back to the ship. I'll save Senator Tills and meet you there."

She was cut off by a scream.

"What now?"

Vella came back on.

"It's the _Exactor_. It just arrived. Vader's here."

Shaak Ti looked at the ceiling.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Vader was furious.

"I'm sorry Lord Vader. I panicked. The clones were dead, Senator Tills escaped our embargo and is headed towards the hangars and the smuggler friends of the Jedi have disappeared."

Vader barely controlled his fury.

"I gave you simple instruction Governor. Now, my plan is in ruins. I do not suffer failure lightly."

And with that, Vader raised his hand and used the same power he had first used on Jabiim. But this time he didn't stop. Ceriss gagged and then fell to the floor dead. Vader grunted in frustration.

He put in a different comm.

Carhac appeared before him.

"Commander Carhac."

"Lord Vader. What can I do for you my lord? I am pursuing Senator Tills at the moment, but I can change assignments if you wish."

Vader smiled at the clones eagerness to fight and kill for his superiors. Yes, Carhac was a good clone. Brutal and murderous he may be, but he was a good clone.

"No Commander. I feel that both our quarries will be meeting soon. When they do, kill them both."

He signed off. He then turned to his captain.

"Take us into the shipyards captain. And signal the Defence Force. Deploy all fighter squadrons. Same goes for us. We will not let Shaak Ti escape again."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Syron swore as he saw the clones surrounding the ship.

"Typical. Never here when we are." He complained.

"You expected she would be here?" Vella asked.

Softy roared that they weren't leaving her.

"We're not going to leave her. Believe it or not, I've actually developed a soft spot for the lot of the." Syron said sheepishly.

"It's their resilience. After all they've been through, they're still going." Vella said with a smile.

Softy surveyed the odds. Twelve clones. The door at the far side of the hangar opened. Not good. Another squad of clones. Vader had obviously ordered them go be stopped from lifting off.

"Not good." Vella said.

"Master of understatement." Syron said sourly.

Then they saw Serra emerge quietly from the sip, followed by Dyren. Teecee followed. Serra nodded and pointed to them and the clones at the door. Syron nodded and took out his blaster. Vella and Softy followed suit. They then edged along to where the door was. They then watched for the lightshow to begin. With a hiss, Serra's two green blades sprang into her hands and decimated three clones beside the ship. Dyren followed, his blue blade spinning into one clone. He caught his saber in time to block two shots back at their originator, dropping them to the floor. Teecee raised his hands and let loose with the secret flamethrowers in his fingers, destroying six clones with one blast. Meanwhile, Syron and the other shot down the clones with ease. Easy. It was over in a minute.

"We're getting good." Vella said happily.

"Where's Master Ti?" Serra asked.

"She'll be coming. But until she gets here, let's get the ship ready for immediate takeoff. And get Rox to come out and close all the doors to this hangar. We don't want any more uninvited guests." Syron said.

They nodded and went about their work.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shaak Ti dashed through the shipyard's corridors to the hangars, avoiding the clone embargo. She emerged into the hallway and watched as two hooded figures tried valiantly to get to the hangar doors. They were brought short with the arrival of Carhac and his men.

"Senator Tills, you are under arrest."

The lead hooded figure pulled back his hood to reveal the salmon coloured face of the Mon Calamari Senator.

"On what charge?" he asked defiantly as his aide took off his hood.

"Treason." Carhac said silkily.

Shaak Ti watched as Meena Tills took a blaster from his belt. She hissed. He didn't stand a chance against a squad of clones. Carhac laughed.

"You cant stop us."

Shaak Ti smiled.

"That's my cue. Oh, Force preserve me, I'm talking to myself again."

Tills and his aide raised their blasters as Carhac laughed.

"Very well Senator. If you wont come peacefully, we'll have to take you in pieces. Kill him!" Carhac ordered savagely.

As his shot flew straight at Tills a blue blade appeared and batted it away into the wall.

"You again!" Carhac exclaimed.

Shaak Ti smiled.

"Of course me again. I'm a boomerang. I keep coming back."

Carhac snarled.

"Kill her!"

Tills winked at her.

"Thank you for saving me Master Jedi."

"No trouble. However, fight now, talk later."

Tills nodded and let loose with his blaster as Shaak Ti leapt at her enemies. Her blade sliced through two with ease. She then twirled to meet one with a slash in the gut. She then took two's heads off with ease, and then stabbed through two by extending her blade. Carhac ordered a retreat, and they were safe.

"Thank you." Tills said.

"We will talk later. Do you way off station?"

"Yes our ships just through here. You?"

"I have a ship."

"Well get to it quickly. I will give you a distraction to get off station."

Shaak Ti nodded, shook his hand, and left. She entered the hangar corridor, and then swore. Carhac had assembled the clone embargo.

"Carhac, you are really starting to annoy me."

Carhac smiled.

"The feeling's mutual."

She didn't have a change against sixty clones. Or did she?

Looking up, she saw what she needed. She had no choice. There was no other way around. She sprang at the clones, saber ready. She then wrenched the scaffolding off the roof. Carhac swore and told his men to scatter, but too late. Thirty were crushed by the metal, and Shaak Ti now had the advantage. Her blade sliced through four with ease as she leapt over the bars. Two of them turned to fire at her. Jumping into the air, she let them fire right into their comrades. She then sliced them both apart with a leaping attack. Carhac was barking out orders, as yet more clones appeared to fight Shaak Ti. Time to go. Throwing her lightsaber, she decapitated several then dashed for the door.

"Close the doors!" Carhac yelled.

It was too late. Shaak Ti dove through the doors and into the corridor, avoiding a storm of blasterfire. Smiling she ran for the ship.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She ran up the boarding ramp, deflecting shots from Carhac's troops, who had finally caught up.

"Close the ramp!" she yelled.

Syron did so, and let loose with the laser cannon.

"Which sort of damn fool shuts a door when I'm trying to come through it?" she demanded as she got to the bridge.

Syron looked sheepish.

"Oops."

"Idiot! I could have been killed!"

Syron ducked as she tried to clout his ear.

"Did you find the Senator?" Serra asked.

"Thanks kid." Syron said as he gunned the engines.

"Yes. He's giving us a diversion."

With that, the Corvette shot out of the shipyard. The Star Destroyers immediately opened fire, and Syron immediately had to go on the defensive. Shaak Ti watched as a shuttle shot towards Vader's Star Destroyer.

"Carhac." She growled.

The ship junked and weaved.

"This is suicide!" Teecee yelled.

Softy roared his agreement. Even the Jedi looked a little pale. Then, from the Mon Cal moon, two Mon Calamari cruisers, one MC80 and one MC80B were joined by four Mon Calamari Frigates, that opened fire on the Star Destroyers. The fighters veered off to fight the cruisers, while the lead one contacted Shaak Ti. Meena Tills face appeared.

"Thank you Senator! Quite a fleet!"

"Indeed. What is our destination?"

Shaak Ti looked concerned.

"Arent you going to a holding world?"

"The Empire's taken them all. So me, and my crew, are loyally at your service."

Shaak Ti smiled.

"Thank you. Set your course for Rhen Var."

Syron looked at her in bewilderment.

"It's an ice cube!"

"I know that. I just feel we need to go to Rhen Var. Please."

Syron shrugged and gunned the engines. Tills laughed, and gave the order. With that, amidst a storm of fire, the fleet leapt to hyperspace.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Vader watched as the fleet disappeared. Carhac came up behind him.

"I failed Lord Vader."

Vader turned to the clone.

"No. You weren't to know you were facing Shaak Ti. I should have told you. I should have come myself actually. Now, both our enemies are together. Am I right in saying that you would dearly love to kill Shaak Ti?"

"Yes Lord Vader. She's outdone me too many times!"

Vader smiled at the clone's hostility.

"Good. With the massive orders for the new _Imperator_, or as of tomorrow, _Imperial _class Star Destroyers, no one will notice if one disappears. I want you to command a Star Destroyer and use it to hunt down Shaak Ti."

Carhac was amazed.

"Thank you my lord! A clone has never received such rewards!"

"Very true. I, however, consider you a brilliant trooper, and just the person I need to track down the Jedi. I'm afraid I will be recalled soon, so it will be up to you to destroy Shaak Ti afterwards."

"Thank you my lord."

"With the ISDs coming in, the older ships will be phased out. I will get you a fleet to search for her. Go to Fondor commander. There you will find your ship, the _Brutality_."

Carhac bowed and went on his way. Vader surveyed the situation in distaste. Because of that stupid governor, Shaak Ti had escaped again! This was intolerable!

"What was there last known trajectory?" he demanded.

The captain shuddered in fear of the Sith Lord.

"We believe Rhen Var my lord."

Vader was brought up short. He had hoped never to go there again.

"Right. Set your course for Rhen Var. And summon the _Revenge_, the _Betrayal_, the _Tyrant _and the _Killer_. We will destroy her once and for all!"

The captain looked nervous.

"My lord, the Emperor will surely notice if five of your _Imperial _Star Destroyers are assigned to one mission. He will not approve! Nor will he approve of giving that clone a command!"

The next second Vader was putting his saber back on his belt while the captain's head rolled into a crew pit.

"Anyone else want to challenge my orders?" Vader growled threateningly.

"No sir!" they all answered.

"good."

The new captain came up.

"I have given the orders sir. But he was right. The Emperor will notice."

Vader pondered.

"I'll send him a message when we arrive at Rhen Var. Take us out captain."

"Sir."

With that Vader swept from the bridge, cape billowing behind him.

**So, Shaak Ti's on the move again, but Vader is catching up. Will he get her this time? And Carhac is a rather large nuisance, and now about to get his own Star Destroyer. Swine. But, Shaak Ti has the beginning of a fleet now. By the way, the cruisers Meena Tills has are the same as the Mon Remonda from the Wraith Squadron novels, the normal Mon Cal cruisers seen in Return of the Jedi, and the firgates are from Forces of Corruption. So, next chapter, more Jedi! Disaster! And the Emperor!**

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

8

The _Silver Blade_ was en route to Rhen Var. what Shaak Ti planned to find there, she didn't know, she just knew she had to go there. She sat in the viewing room, watching hyperspace. Then, it happened. A terrible pain through the Force. She cried out in pain as death and destruction assaulted her mind. Thousands of people were dying, crying and shaking in terror at one time. Then the assault became worse, and she fainted, unable to take any more.

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Whie, in the lounge with most of the others, suddenly screamed with pain and started writhing about. Zett and Sanna screamed and cried, while Serra collapsed and Dyren tried valiantly to support himself. Scout, weaker in the Force, only had a dull headache. She held Whie as he screamed, trying to comfort him.

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Vader was on his way to the bridge when it happened, and he stumbled and grabbed onto the wall to prevent falling. Something was happening. Something terrible. Thousands were dying. What was going on?

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Palpatine smiled as he felt the disturbance. Thus ended the possible threat of the Caamasi. Now, all he had to do was explain it off. He smiled.

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Obi Wan Kenobi stumbled and fell to the ground. The Jawas he was trading with started chattering excitedly. He pushed himself off the hot, sandy ground of Tatooine. As he traded, he knew that something horrible was happening.

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The little baby started yelling. His step aunt came rushing towards him.

"He just got fed, so it cant be that!" Owen said grumpily.

"I don't know what it is. Maybe he got a fright."

With that, Beru Lars started to rock the child back into silence.

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Bail Organa picked up his daughter as she bawled her tiny lungs out.

"There there, whats the matter? Something scare you?" he asked.

The baby continued to wail.

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Yoda, the former Grand Master of the Jedi Order, staggered as he felt the destruction. With a burst of understanding, he knew what had happened. Palpatine had destroyed Caamas.

"Darker these times become. Little hope is there now. The darkness grows around all."

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"Wake up!"

Shaak Ti blearily opened her eyes.

"What?"

"You had collapsed! We didn't know what was wrong! The others all went berserk and the two floating in the tanks nearly wrecked the equipment." Vella said.

Shaak Ti got to her feet. She looked ill.

"Are they alright?"

"They're fine. Its you and the ones in the lounge that I'm worried about. Scout's fine, she just has a killer headache. Zett and Senna are both crying and shaking, Whie's screaming, and Serra and Dyren are out of it just like you were."

Shaak Ti took a steadying breath, used the Force to clam her racing heart and nerves, and ran to the lounge.

"There you are! Are you alright? I was checking up on the ones in the tank when they woke up and started wrecking the place. Then they went back to sleep again! I came back and found this lot either screaming or out of it." Syron said.

After checking that the others were alright, she sat down and faced the crew.

"When someone dies, it creates a disturbance in the Force. Now, unless that person is particularly strong in the Force, or is known to the person, most people wont feel it. When a few people are killed, it still causes a disturbance, but not enough to be noticed. However, when many people, hundreds, thousands and even millions die altogether, it creates a disturbance that can be felt across the galaxy. That is what happened. Something terrible has been done, killing many people, and it was so unexpected and severe that it nearly caused us harm."

Syron looked at her in concern, ignoring Serra as she got back to her feet and was comforted by Dyren.

"So what happened?"

"I think that many people were all killed at once, most likely by Palpatine. He has totally destroyed thousands of innocent people, and the sheer pain of that loss was enough to cause a massive disturbance across the galaxy. Different people react in different ways, but it is my belief that only Palpatine knew this was going to happen. I doubt even Vader knew. But this was an atrocity, and I think Palpatine knew it would be. So, I don't know what his next move is, but whatever has happened, he will be hard pressed to explain it to the Senate."

Vella checked Whie's temperature and looked grim.

"Where do you think it was?"

Shaak Ti closed her eyes for a second, then she suddenly knew.

"Caamas." She said mournfully.

"Caamas?" Syron demanded outraged.

"Why would anyone want to hurt the Caamasi?" Teecee asked.

"Because they were peaceful." Serra snarled.

"What?" Vella asked.

"Simple. The Caamasi were a peaceful species and a threat to no one. Except that they embodied what the galaxy should be. So Palpatine wiped them out to stop them protesting and give people dangerous ideas." Syron said, sitting down in a fury.

Shaak Ti closed her eyes.

"I fear you may be right."

The lounge was silent as they mourned for the Caamasi.

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The ship dropped out of hyperspace at Rhen Var, closely followed by the fleet. The fleet formed a blockade and the _Blade _headed downwards. The report had come over the holonet on the way down. The Caamasi had been a peaceful species, and had so been easy prey for a Separatist cell that detested the Empire. It had sabotaged the shields and then utterly destroyed Caamas. The threat was stopped by the arrival of the Imperial Fleet. Shaak Ti scoffed as she read this and turned it off in fury. Palpatine, afraid that the Caamasi pacifism would affect his grip on the galaxy had ordered their destruction. He had been seen in public, mourning their loss. Shaak Ti had gotten even more furious at his acting at how innocent and sorry he was. He had ordered the deaths of an innocent people just because they were opposed to his militarism. This only made her more determined than ever to fight the Empire.

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Shaak Ti, Serra and Dyren all dressed up in cold weather clothes and headed outside.

"Get ready to leave at any moment. We should be fine, but be ready to leave just in case." She ordered as she pulled on her hat.

"Shouldn't we come?" Syron asked defiantly.

"No. I don't know what traps are still here after the battle during the Dark Reaper Crisis. Best leave it to us."

She headed into the Temple, hoping that none of the traps were still active. The three entered the cold dark temple, untouched since the battle at the start of the war. Their breath rose in puffs in front of them. Then, without warning, the door slammed shut behind them. They jumped in shock. They then heard small rocks falling down. They huddled together, scared, despite themselves. Being attacked in a dark frozen temple was not their favoured way of dying. The wind whistled, and snow fell. Shadows crept up the walls.

"Master, I don't like this." Serra moaned.

"Don't worry. If there's something in here, we'll feed it Dyren, and we'll run as fast as we can."

"Thanks for that." Dyren snapped.

The temple got steadily darker as they progressed, all holding each others hands. It was very scary in there. No light entered the temple. Too late Shaak Ti remembered that it used to be a tomb. Then the wind howled, making her scream in terror. Rockes fell from the ceiling, making Serra jump on Dyren for comfort. Ghostly voices filled the air, as they all lit their sabers.

"S..s…sh…show yourselves!" Shaak Ti ordered squeakily.

Then they heard laughing. Not evil laughing, just laughing. It was then that Shaak Ti realised they had been conned. Two Jedi, cackling their heads off, stepped out of the shadows.

One was a tall hairy Whipid with large teeth. This was K'kruhk, a Jedi Master of great fame and conscience, who had escaped death many times.

The one beside him was a small Devaronian woman named Jeisel, who was a tough Jedi and an even tougher fighter. She was laughing insanely.

Shaak Ti shot them both a look that could have killed a star.

"I suppose you think you're terribly clever." She snarled.

They were both laughing madly.

"I don't suppose you even stopped to think what we went through while you lot were scaring the living Force out of us?" Shaak Ti demanded furiously.

"I'm sorry Master Ti, it was too good! We couldn't resist!" K'kruhk protested.

"You lot were priceless!" Jeisel said happily.

Shaak Ti pursed her lips in fury. Serra and Dyren weren't very happy either. She then hit K'kruhk and Jeisel around the head.

"Sods." She hissed in fury.

She hit them again, then softened.

"Now that we all need new pants, can you explain what that was about?"

"Well, we barely escaped Order 66. We were working together on Makem Te. We fled, got the signal to return to Coruscant, got the signal to stay away, so we gave it all up as a bad job and came here. We decided to play dead, and protect the Temple. So, we organised all those things to warn off intruders." Jeisel explained.

Shaak Ti hissed.

"Well, it would certainly make pirates think twice. Probably make Vader himself think twice!"

""Vader?" K'kruhk asked.

"Later."

A young frog like Selkath arrived, carrying scrolls, two old lightsabers, and two holocrons.

"Master Ti!"

"This is my temporary padawan, Quasal. I found him here after Order 66."

"Greetings."

She turned to them both.

"Is that it? All you could find?"

"remember, a lot was taken out after the battle and put in the Temple itself. I suspect Palpatine has it now. Did you feel that disturbance?"

"Yes. Well, if that's all there is, it'll have to do. Come on."

"Are you sure we need to leave?" Jeisel asked.

"Unless you ant to live out your days on this ice cube." Serra said.

She was still rather annoyed at being scared.

Then Shaak Ti's comm beeped.

"What is it Syron? Ah!"

She put it down.

"The term is bugger."

"I hate it when she says that. It normally means things are going pearshaped." Dyren moaned.

"Well, they are now. Vader just arrived in orbit. With a fleet."

K'kruhk harrumphed.

"Bugger indeed."

Now what were they going to do?

**Now what? A fleet of five Imperial Star Destroyers has arrived in orbit. So, what will happen next? But, on the plus side, three more Jedi. I like K'kruhk. Its good to see him in Legacy. So, next chapter, what will happen? Stay tuned to find out!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

9

Shaak Ti blanched.

"We have no choice. You need to leave or Vader will raze the planet. Come!"

K'kruhk nodded, and without further ado, he led Quasal and Jeisel out of the temple, closely on the heels of the other Jedi. They dashed up the ramp when a blast hit the temple. It fell apart with the force of the blast.

"Not good." Jeisel complained.

"Get us out of here alive Syron!" Shaak Ti yelled.

No sooner had the hatch shut when the ship lurched into the air. She entered the bridge.

"Well?"

"They just dropped out of hyperspace on top of the fleet. Senator Tills got them all to move into a defensive position, but we don't have nearly enough ships to hold them off, let alone destroy them. The battle was just kicking off when another fleet arrived."

"Another fleet?" she asked.

"Yep. One ISD, two Venators and two Victorys."

The Corvette sped up from the planet and into space, and saw the battle. The two Mon Cal cruisers and the four Mon Cal frigates that Meena Tills had personally had built and bought for himself as his own private fleet, were now engaged with six _Imperial _class Star Destroyers, two _Venator _class Star Destroyers and two _Victory _class Star Destroyers.

Shaak Ti looked at them with a miserable expression on her face.

"Bollocks."

Jeisel poked her head into the bridge.

"K'kruhk and I are going to take the turrets."

"Good idea. Serra, Dyren, take over a turret."

The ship shot forward into a storm of laser fire. Green bolts fired from the Destroyers and into the Mon Cal's shields. Arc 170s, V-wings and the first of the new TIE Fighters swept up and down, slowly eating away at the shields of Meena Till's cruisers. Shaak Ti hissed as she saw what they were dealing with. They didn't stand a chance. The _Liberty _was giving as good as it got to the _Exactor_, but it was futile. The _Revenge _was coming up on the ship's other side and pounding at its shields. Syron had no choice but to take them into the throng. One of the frigates was going head to head with the _Peacemaker_, one of the _Venator _Star Destroyers.

"Blasted Sith scumbag." Shaak Ti moaned.

"Everyone hold on. This could get more than a little hairy!" he shouted.

The Corvette then sped into the heat of the battle, immediately attracting the attention of the fighters. Two squadrons of ARC 170s sped after them. Then, the Jedi opened up with the turrets. Two were taken down with ease, but the others proved harder to get rid off. The Corvette shot up between where the _Freedom _was battling the _Killer_, and then shot over the bow of the Destroyer. The frigates were firing their cluster bombs at the Destroyers, but to no avail, though they did take out a large number of fighters.

"Senator Tills, launch your fighters!" Shaak Ti barked into the comm.

Tills sounded distressed.

"It'll be a miracle if we do Master Ti."

"How? Have they hit your hangar?"

"No, its fine."

"Then why cant you launch fighters?"

"Because we don't have any!"

Shaak Ti cursed.

"What sort of damn fool would get a fleet for themselves and not get any fighters to go with it?"

"I forgot."

Shaak Ti slapped her head in frustration.

"Just goes to show, if you want something done properly, you have to do it yourself."

The corvette came into range of the _Peacemaker _and started firing. Lasers blossomed off the ship's shields as both the _Silver Blade _and the _Slash_, one of the Mon Cal frigates pummelled away at it. Shaak Ti knew they couldn't win. At least not at their present strength. The two cruisers fired off many rounds to no avail, before the laser blasts hitting the back end of the ship began to get more violent.

"Turn us around!" she said as a missile crashed into the engine bank.

Syron nodded his agreement, and they went back to where the other frigates and the cruisers were slugging it out with the Star Destroyers. Anyone could see that it was no good. The Mon Cal cruisers, while powerful enough to take on a Star Destroyer alone, weren't strong enough to withhold an attack from a fleet of them. Also, the fighters, as they had no one to destroy them but the _Blade_, were plentiful, using their lasers to chew away at the Mon Cal cruiser's shields. A flight of V-wings hurtled towards them, when they were ripped apart by turret fire.

"That's the way to do it!" Syron yelled.

There was suddenly a deafening crash.

"That didn't sound healthy." Teecee quirked as he changed their course and put more power to the shields.

"Softy?" Vella demanded into the comm.

Whie's voice answered.

"A missile just penetrated the engine room. Softy's trying his best to move it, but he isn't strong enough. We're just hoping it wont go off. And the power cells for the engines have been burned up by the missile entering. We might not be able to jump to lightspeed."

Syron growled.

"Just full of good information isn't he?"

"Its not his fault." Vella said.

"Use the Force to move it out Whie dear. We cant stay here much longer."

"I knew we should have got another ship!" Teecee yelled.

"Stow it you trash can!" Syron yelled.

Rox was beeping away frantically.

"What is it?" Scout asked as she entered the room.

"Get out of here kid!" Syron yelled.

"Don't be so mean. We need all the help we can get!" Vella snapped.

Then a turbolaser blast hit the Corvette head on, sending it spinning towards the _Exactor_.

"We need to leave!" Shaak Ti yelled.

"I know that!" Syron snapped back.

The turbolasers were thick, flying between the _Liberty _and the _Exactor_.

"We're gonna be pulverised!" Scout shouted.

Softy growled over the comm.

"He's got the missile out, but he says we cant jump to lightspeed." Teecee said calmly.

"Dumb ship, dumb droid, dumb Wookiee…" Syron complained.

Scout watched as the bolts from the two cruisers got even closer.

"Master, we need to fly towards the Star Destroyer."

"Dear, we're trying to stabilise ourselves then leave."

"I know, but we just need to go! Trust me!"

Shaak Ti nodded to Syron, who swore.

"I'm not here to fly you Jedi around!"

"Just do it!" Vella yelled.

He seemed appropriately cowed, and barely managed to get the ship pointed towards the bridge of the _Exactor_. The ship was still hurtling out of control, and there were now several fighter squadrons pursuing them.

"Give me the controls!" Scout ordered.

"I'm not letting a kid fly my ship!"

Shaak Ti lost her temper.

"Syron, stop being such a jerk and let the girl fly this hunk of junk! Go and try to fix the stabilisers so we can stop spinning!"

Syron moaned about back seat drivers and then went to fix the ship. Softy was roaring on the comm, and Whie was swearing as fire broke out in the engine room. Fire was now erupting from the frigates as the Star Destroyers kept up their relentless barrage. The Mon Cal cruisers shields were now gone, and they were trying to move away from the Star Destroyers but were getting bombarded worse than ever. Fire was breaking out of wounds on the ships, and debris was flying into space as the Imperial forces moved in for the kill.

Syron was hammering away on the ship to try and keep it together as the fighters kept up their relentless barrage. K'kruhk and the others kept firing, but they were running low on energy and the closer they got to the Star Destroyers hull the worse it got. Scout was concentrating very hard, when a blast hit the middle of the ship.

"Bother is the term." Shaak Ti said.

"How?" Vella asked.

"The main reactor was damaged. Unless we land soon we're going to be mince meat!"

Then the power was cut off.

"Syron you idiot! You've doomed us!" Shaak Ti yelled.

"Stupid good for nothing son of a bantha!" Vella balled.

"Shut up! I'm working on it!"

Softy was roaring in fury as the ship came perilously close to the Star Destroyer. The fighters were still firing away.

"Can we get power back please!?" Serra demanded.

"Shut it!"

Then power flickered back on, and the ship rightened itself.

"There! Happy now?"

"Oh shut up!"

Softy appeared with Whie.

"We cant jump." Whie reported.

Stupid Imps wrecking my ship! Softy cried.

"Scout dear, we're awful close to the Star Destroyer." Shaak Ti said nervously.

The girl grinned.

"Trust me."

"Oh dear."

Scout then gunned the engines. Shocked, the fighters began to follow. She was taking them straight towards the bridge.

"Scout!" Shaak Ti yelled.

"She's crazy!" Vella yelled.

"No, she's a genius!" Whie grinned.

Shaak Ti looked at him in shock. Then Scout made the ship shoot upwards in a steep climb. They heard Syron falling back to the engine room in the back. The fighters, unable to stop in time, kept going and crashed into the Star Destroyer. Fire erupted on the surface as the shield flickered.

"Get the cruisers to fire now!" Scout ordered.

They heard Syron swearing as he climbed to the bridge. The wounded cruisers fired a round each, right into the gap in the shields. The Star Destroyer was consumed by energy, and then sank out of the way.

"Brilliant dear!" Shaak Ti yelled.

The Star Destroyers formed a tighter gap, closing off their escape. But, due to the _Exactor _falling out of place and everyone moving up, the line was clear.

"Senator Tills, can you take us on board?" Scout asked.

"Yes. Hurry! The fighters are regrouping!"

The Corvette shot forward, avoiding another hail of turbolaser fire from the _Brutality_.It was closing in on them, preparing to fix it's tractor beam. The Corvette sped into the soot blackened hangar, and there was a whoop of victory. As shots rocked the back of the cruiser, the engines were gunned and they sprang away into hyperspace, bloodied but alive.

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Vader watched as the damaged fleet leapt away.

He turned to the crew.

"Why wasn't that attack anticipated?"

"We didn't know what they planned to do Lord Vader." The captain said in a scared voice.

"The shields were in place were they not? So why did they get through?"

"Sir, two squadrons crashed into us! Fire erupted, people were vented into space and there's now a hole in the ship."

"That's because the shields were directed to the bridge when we were in obviously no danger!" Vader thundered.

The captain shook, and then Vader lost his patience. He blasted the man with a push so powerful that it shattered his skeleton. Vader breathed deeply, when the third in command came up to him.

"My Lord, it will take some time to repair the _Exactor_. A ship will need to remain here to protect it."

Vader nodded his assent.

"And the Emperor demands you make contact with him."

Vader swept from the room and headed towards the holochamber. His master materialised before him.

"Lord Vader. I trust Shaak Ti is destroyed?"

"She escaped us my master due to the foolishness of my captain. He has since been removed."

Palpatine hissed in anger.

"She escaped again?"

"Yes, but any longer and we would have destroyed her fleet. As it is, all seven of her ships are heavily damaged. The Mon Cal cruisers and frigates fought well, but without fighters they weren't very effectual."

Palpatine hissed again.

"What losses did we sustain?"

"A few fighter squadrons, nothing more."

"Very well. I want you to return to Coruscant Lord Vader. We have much to discuss."

"Of course my master. As you wish. I will just assign Commander Carhac to the chase for Shaak Ti."

"She is one Jedi. A threat she may be, but a small one, a very small one indeed. It hardly requires a fleet of ships to destroy a bunch of damaged ships. And his appointment as a fleet commander is one of the things we'll be discussing."

Vader gulped. Now he was in for it.

"And I will need to come on the _Killer_. The _Exactor _was breached, so the _Revenge _will need to stay and guard it while the rest return to their usual duties."

Palpatine growled.

"Another thing to discuss. I await your arrival."

"Yes master."

The Emperor signed off, and Vader swore. Blast Shaak Ti! Now he was in trouble. He swept out of the room and turned to the new captain.

"Carry out the repairs captain. Deploy the fleet. And I will be taking my shuttle to the _Killer_ I will rejoin you soon."

"Very good sir."

With that Vader left the chase for Shaak Ti to others.

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The fleet was far away from Rhen Var, making repairs.

"Ship shot to poodoo!" Syron complained.

"Oh stop whining!" Scout snapped.

"We're helping to fix it! If you don't think we should, tell us and we'll leave!" Jeisel snarled.

She didn't much like the captain.

"I don't see why we bother. He obviously cares more for his dumb ship than living things." Shaak Ti sniped as she fixed a power coupling.

"That's not true!" Syron protested.

"Then show it then!" Vella shouted from above.

"The energy flux is knackered!" Teecee yelled.

"And these turrets are all damaged, but we will fix them if only to keep you happy captain Talo!" K'kruhk yelled.

"Dumb Corellians bossing us about." Zett complained.

Softy roared, brining an end to the bickering.

Shaak Ti grumbled about ungrateful Corellians while Syron complained about ungrateful Jedi. The bickering continued while repairs were affected throughout the fleet. None of the other ships had people complaining, except the poor souls who kept burning themselves. Then, it all came to a head.

"If you don't want us with you, just say so! We'll pay you and be on our way!" Shaak Ti snapped.

"I wouldn't mind that at all! The ship would be in a better position!"

"Give it up with your stupid ship!" Whie shouted.

"Stay out of it young one. Leave this to Master Ti." K'kruhk counselled.

"Your ship is not the only thing. You haven't even thanked Scout for saving your ship and our lives! You haven't apologised to her for the way you acted towards her! With an attitude like that we'd be better off without you!"

"Oh is that so? Then give me my money, and I'll leave!"

"Best thing for you!"

She gave him a wad of credits, and then summoned a bacta tank.

"We'll take our Jedi and go! Then you can get off my ship!"

"What?"

"Meena Tills and I are sharing the _Liberty_. So once we have Master Choi and Master Swan off, you can be merrily on your way. I give it two weeks before Vader or Carhac find you, and then who will you turn to?"

She then turned around, beckoned imperiously to the other Jedi and stormed off the ship.

Vella and Softy rounded on him. Softy roared in fury and promised to cause him great bodily harm. Vella was about to start talking when Teecee piped in about what a jerk he was. And Rox whistled indignantly at him.

"Why is it my fault?"

"Because you're a self centred son of a bitch who only cares about his stupid ship! If it wasn't for them we wouldn't have gotten off Rogue Station. We wouldn't have got off MS3. And we wouldn't have got out of Rhen Var. So stop acting like the victim, go and apologise to them, and especially to Scout! The way you treated her during the battle was really hurtful!"

With that, she headed to the bridge to get a damage report.

"And if you don't, you can find yourself a new crew!"

Syron moaned about bloody Jedi turning his own crew against him, then realised they were right. He had been horrible. Shaak Ti was concerned about them, him as much as anyone. True, the Empire was chasing after her, but she still had time to look after individual people. She didn't let one person take over her time. Like he had. And Vella was right. Without the Jedi, they wouldn't be alive. Without the Jedi, they wouldn't have so many friends. Sighing he went in search of Shaak Ti.

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Shaak Ti was deep in conversation with Serra about men when he appeared. She turned to give him an icy glare.

"The people are removing the others from your ship. You'll soon be free of us captain. Wont that be a joy?"

Syron took a deep breath and looked at his shoes.

"I'm sorry Master Ti."

She cocked her eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yes. I was being a jerk. I know we can fix the ship. I just don't like nearly dying."

"Welcome to the club." K'kruhk said.

"Will you forgive me?" Syron asked.

Shaak Ti smiled.

"Yes. Now, we will even help you repair the ship so you can leave."

Syron made a face.

"I don't want to leave."

"Glad to hear it. So, friends?"

He smiled.

"Friends."

With that, they shook on it, and went back to the repairs.

**So, everyone's one big happy family again. But we're nowhere enar finished yet. They've escaped for now, but what will happene next? Next chapter will hopefully be Sunday or Monday. Please review! More Jedi coming up!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

10

The repairs on all the cruisers were completed some months later. The fleet was now back at full fighting fitness, but without fighters, they weren't going to get far. Shaak Ti also knew that they would need allies to fight the Empire, and also a place to store any useful artefacts belonging to the Jedi. Meena Tills had allowed them a room aboard the _Liberty_ to put the items that Quasal had found into. And at long last, with the completion of the repairs, Tsui Choi and Bultar Swan were once again ready for service.

"I felt what Master Arana was going to do a minute before he did it. I barely had enough time to put myself into a hibernation trance before he stabbed me. It was that timing that saved my life." Bultar said.

"Well, I'm glad to see you alive my dear." Tsui said.

"And how did you survive Master Choi?" Zett asked.

"Do you know of the displacement technique?"

Shaak Ti cast her mind back, but Jeisel got there first.

"It's used to take the energy out of things. It requires a lot of energy."

"Indeed. I stopped the first few blaster bolts with that, used a Force shield to absorb a few more, then let the others hit me as I fell into a hibernation trance."

"And that was how you survived?" Syron asked.

"Make no mistake: I would not have survived if not for you finding me. I am in your debt."

Shaak Ti smiled. The next day they would decide on what to do. But for now, the few Jedi she had assembled, along with her friends, would celebrate their victory.

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They had all assembled in the conference room of the _Liberty_, the MC80b cruiser. Shaak Ti, Tsui Choi, K'kruhk, Jeisel, Syron, Meena Tills, Vella, Softy, Bultar and Serra were all there.

"Here we are. We have struck against the Empire. We have gathered a few Jedi, and assembled the beginnings of a fleet to our cause. However, we have several problems."

They all nodded in agreement.

"The first of those is the fact that we are being targeted by the most ruthless servant of the Emperor, the Emperor himself and the most brutal clone to ever exist. We cannot outfight them, not now, maybe not ever. However, we can keep chipping away at their power and hope that it all comes crashing down around their ears."

Syron leaned forward.

"Another problem is that the two of them, Vader and Carhac, have no issues about harming innocents to get to us. Look at Rogue Station. What's to say they wont do that to a planet where we are?"

Silence met these words.

"Syron has a point. Vader will not hesitate." K'kruhk said sadly.

"Yes, but he cant go across the galaxy burning up planets. Caamas had to die in the Emperor's eyes. But if Vader wipes out planets that are of some use, or of little threat, he will find it very hard to hold onto his power. There will be rebellion within a week." Jeisel said.

Shaak Ti nodded.

"Good points, both. We will consider them later on."

"My cruisers are capable of engaging an ISD, while two frigates are capable of taking on one without trouble too. However, we have the problem that I have no fighters. Before all this happened, we didn't need to worry about fighters." Meena Tills said.

"And as we saw in the battle, a cruiser without a fighter escort has little chance against a ship that does. The fighters will just chew away their shields." Vella stated.

"Very true." Tills said, sitting back.

K'kruhk looked thoughtful.

"How many fighter squadrons do we need?"

"Three per ship."

Bultar nodded.

"They don't necessarily need to be fighters we know, just fighters that we can operate. In other words, we wont need to stay in the realms of ARCs, V-wings and Interceptors."

"I agree."

"The place to get them would probably be Corellia, somewhere like that, or the Corporate Sector. Or maybe a place like Kuat." Syron said.

"We cant go to a shipyard planet. They're far too well defended. We'll accumulate fighters eventually."

"The other problem is a shortage of allies. We are not all the Jedi that are left, but the more we summon to our cause the better. And any other allies would be welcome." Shaak Ti stated.

"But to get other allies, we need to earn their loyalty." Syron pointed out.

"By fighting the Empire's tyranny." Jeisel said slowly.

"Slavery, extortion and other sorts of crimes are rife."

Softy roared.

"Kashyyyk?" Vella asked.

"It makes sense. The Wookiees are tough fighters, and they are good friends of the Jedi. If we join forces, it could be rather upsetting for the Emperor." Tsui said happily.

"Meanwhile, we need to keep the Empire occupied to what we are doing on Kashyyyk. There's going to be a massive slave auction there in a few days. If we go there and bust them all out, it will be such a large riot the forces there wont be able to control it." Serra grinned.

"But as you say, we must keep the Empire occupied. As such, we need to fight them. If we raid their supply lines and raid their forces with the frigates, as they don't need any fighters, we can always attack Kashyyyk with the cruisers." Shaak Ti said.

"A sound plan. So, we have the groundwork. Now, lets build it up and see what we cant do to make it even better." K'kruhk said.

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"So, Master K'kruhk will command the _Strike_. He will raid the supply convoy going through the Togoria system. Master Jeisel will raid the forces going through the Ruusan system on the _Slash_. Master Swan will raid the forces going through the Charros system on the _Swipe_, while Master Choi raids the convoy going through the Roche system on the _Swift_. That ties up all our frigates. Meanwhile, the two cruisers will be waiting at the edge of the Kashyyyk system, awaiting our signal to get underway. We will take the _Silver Blade_ and use that to get onto Kashyyyk. When we are done on Kashyyyk, if you lot aren't finished, we wills end you all word to make your way to the rendezvous point." Shaak Ti said.

"And don't forget, this isn't a suicide mission. All you're doing is keeping the enemy occupied while we slip onto Kashyyyk. If you're outnumbered, fire off a few shots then leave. Don't get yourself killed." Syron ordered.

They all nodded in agreement.

"Very good. I will have my captains standing by. Master Keto and Master Lan will each be on a cruiser with the children." Tills said in his guttural voice.

"Which means you're the only Jedi going Master Ti." Tsui said.

"No matter. So, we have a plan. Good luck, and may the Force be with you all."

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The Ruusan system. The site of the final battle of the New Sith Wars, that had seen the death of over half the Jedi Order and the near destruction of the Sith Order. Only one, Darth Bane, survived. He took his new apprentice Darth Zannah away, and he formed the Sith into what they were now. Ruusan was now a deserted planet, with few people living on its surface after the climatic battle a thousand years ago. And now it was where Jeisel would take the fight to the Empire.

"Are we ready captain?"

"Yes Master Jeisel."

"Good. Begin."

The frigate made the last small jump, arriving in the centre of the system. Below them the marble of Ruusan continued its leisurely course. But it was the convoy above them that they were interested in. A _Victory _Star Destroyer was guarding a small fleet of twelve ships, bearing food, weapons and med supplies.

"Attack."

The _Slash _shot forward, its turrets blazing. The convoy was caught totally unprepared, and two ships were destroyed without their shields. The convoy went to evasive manoeuvres as the Star Destroyer turned to face the frigate. Jeisel grinned. By the time they got around, they would be finished.

"Fire cluster bombs." She said happily.

The captain nodded in enthusiasm and gave the order. The frigate's unique attack fired from the pores along the side of the vessel, shooting large bombs out from them in a circle that surrounded the ship.

"Wait." Jeisel said.

Then the fighters streaked towards them.

"Now!"

The bombs blew apart, destroying one of the fighter squadrons and halving the other two. Three more freighters were wiped out by the explosions, and the Destroyer gained minor damage. The freighters began to scatter, and the fighters had to break off to rear them back in.

"Fire at will, and take us out."

The captain nodded, and the ship began to turn, red turbolaser shots crossing over the area. The Destroyer started to fire, but because of the position of the freighters, it couldn't afford to keep up a rapid attack. Another three freighters were destroyed and the enemy fighters were all gone by the time they were clear.

"Yes." Jeisel said in exultation.

And then the _Slash _jumped to lightspeed.

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K'kruhk watched as the _Swift _sauntered into the system to wait its target. According to their information, the convoy would come out of lightspeed here. Togoria was home to the feline Togorians, a fierce species with long claws. They had allied with the Confederacy during the war and were now suffering under the Empire. K'kruhk pulled at his long hair and waited. It shouldn't be long now…ah!

The convoy leapt out, right into their guns. Fire erupted from six freighters as they were crushed and wrecked by laser fire. The defending Carrack cruisers twirled around to confront the cruiser, as the _Swift_'s guns continued to wreck the convoy. Two more were destroyed, and they were down to twelve freighters. The Carracks shot towards the frigate. K'kruhk nodded his approval to the captain.

"Fire cluster bombs."

The captain smiled at the big hairy Jedi and watched in delight as the fighter squadrons that came with the Carracks were destroyed, another two freighters died and the Carracks were knocked off course, both with fire streaming from them.

"Master K'kruhk, under the circumstances, I suggest we pursue the battle."

K'kruhk looked at the captain. While young, Jenari Ackdara had a good grasp of tactics. He nodded in approval.

She gave the orders and the ship streaked forward, lasers firing to immobilise the freighters. Blue fire surrounded the ships as they dropped down dead in space, eradicating their threat of escape. Now for the Carracks. The Carracks turned to face the cruiser and streaked towards it, despite both being damaged.

"Fire ion cannons." K'kruhk ordered.

Blue fire streaked from the cruiser and hit the already damaged cruisers. With one last flicker of defiance, the ships shuddered and died in space.

"Excellent. Broadcast news of their defeat and demand their surrender. We will take the supplies from the freighters, put it on the Carracks, keep two freighters for ourselves, and the rest can all go free. Any resistance will be met with extreme force."

Ackdara nodded and carried out the orders. K'kruhk smiled contentedly. Master Ti would be pleased. And so would he.

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Master Bultar Swan watched as the lines surrounding the _Swipe _levelled out to become normal space again. She smiled as she watched the crew go about their work. Then, as soon as she looked out of the viewport, she knew something was wrong. Something was definitely out of place. She stretched out with her feelings, taking care not to outdo herself as her wound still caused her pain.

"Master Swan?" the captain asked.

"Be wary. I sense…"

"Sir!"

The cry from the crew station brought Bultar back to herself just as an _Imperial _class Star Destroyer sprang out of lightspeed, backed up by two Victorys.

"All hands to stations! We are undone!" the captain yelled.

Klaxons roared throughout the ship as they got ready to fight.

"We cant win." The captain said to Bultar.

"There are alternatives to fighting."

He nodded.

"Turn us around."

The_ Swipe _began to turn around, but the ISD, labelled the _Tyranny_, was in range. Green bolts of deadly turbolaser energy sprang out from the ship, colliding with the frigate's shields. Bultar staggered from the attack, and watched in dismay as fighters sped from the holds of the Star Destroyer and started chewing away at the frigate's shields.

"All hands to battle stations! Man your posts! Prepare for battle!"

Deadly green energy came from all three Destroyers now, battering the frigate's shields and slowing down their turn. Bultar watched in concern as the shield monitor began to dip lower and lower.

Hit with a premonition, she shouted.

"Captain!"

The blasts collided right into the bridge shield, taking it out completely. And then it crashed. An ARC 170, damaged by the blast, crashed into the bridge, making the viewport shatter and suck the air out of the bridge. Bultar winced as good men and women were sucked out of the bridge and either shredded on the transparisteel or left to the cold hard empty space outside. The enemy kept up their attacks, damaging the ship even further. Mustering her strength, and sobbing as the captain was shredded, she started to use the Force to move people out of the bridge. When they were all out, with the vacuum even harder to resist, and knowing that her own end was near, she made one last jump and was caught by one young Mon Cal as the doors slid shut behind her.

"How awful." She breathed deeply.

"I agree. Operations are at the secondary bridge. They're taking us out now."

Despite the thundering of turbolaser cannons, both from them and the Empire, the ship suddenly lurched and hurtled into hyperspace. They were free. It had been costly, but they were free. Now they had to work out who the commander of the _Tyranny _was and make him pay.

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Master Tsui Choi was in his quarters when he felt it. A small tiny glimmer of hope. The ship shot out of lightspeed, and right towards the Star Destroyer that was guarding a small convoy. There was a Jedi aboard that Star Destroyer. Tsui gasped. He then hurtled towards the bridge. Entering, he said in a rush:

"Theresajediaboardthatstardestroyer."

"Sorry?"

"There's a Jedi aboard that Star Destroyer."

The captain tugged his barbells.

"We cant do anything about it Master Choi. Our duty is to destroy the convoy. We aren't after the Star Destroyer anyway. We cant take it on. It's too powerful. I give you my word Master Choi that we will do all that is possible to try and rescue the Jedi on board, but at the moment, we cant, and we have another mission to complete. I know its hard to accept, but we cant help them, now anyway."

Tsui accepted the fact. And hoped that the Jedi would be all right.

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She looked defiantly at the man, not removing her gaze from his face.

His name was Admiral Penish, commander of the _Imperial _Star Destroyer _Vendetta_. He was a thin, tall man, with evil brown eyes, a long, bony nose, two gold teeth and a very small moustache. He had his black hair combed into a side parting. But she would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was getting to her.

"You will save yourself a lot of pain and suffering if you tell me where your friends went."

"I don't know. And as I keep saying, if I did know, I wouldn't tell you."

He punched her in the stomach, making her choke. Another bruise to add to her collection. Admiral Penish was a brutal man. She looked at her right arm in dismay. Slashes covered it's length, cutting deep into her veins and capillaries. Blood pooled on the floor beneath her. Bruises made her normally brown body black. Her sensitive head had massive scars as a result of his slashing to try and get her to talk. Bones were broken, her muscles were diseased, her body was cut to ribbons. But she still didn't surrender the small bit of information she knew: the names of her former companions before they had got jumped leaving Nar Shaddaa. The bounty hunters had taken them by surprise, and she had been captured. She had then been given to Penish as a gift, and he had been torturing her for information ever since. She was worried about how long she could now last. She didn't know if it was possible to keep going for much longer.

"Tell me where they are!"

He grabbed her throat and slammed her into the wall she was strapped to. She moaned in pain and anger, and then went limp. She steadily raised her head to face Penish.

"Never."

"AHH!"

His small, lethal dagger slashed her stomach and more blood came spurting out.

"I will ask you one last time. Where are they!?"

She gathered her strength.

"Go to hell."

He punched her very hard in the face. He then punched her again. And again. For two minutes it continued, him enjoying her screams. He slammed her against the wall several more times, then grew bored. He undid the bonds, and she dropped to the ground, weak, upset, hurt, scarred and shaking. She curled up into a ball as he kicked her in the head and stomach, then left to attend to the blaring klaxon. And in that cold, dark cell, Sha Koon wept.

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Laser blasts were exchanged between the two cruisers, as the convoy of freighters sped away from the fight. The _Vendetta _turned to face the _Swift_. The freighters all scattered, making it all the harder for the frigate to catch them. Tsui was worried. Every Jedi life that could be saved had to be. And there was a poor Jedi soul aboard that Star Destroyer.

"Deploy cluster bombs." The captain ordered.

They fired out and took out five freighters.

"That's enough. Get us out of here."

Tsui nodded. There was nothing they could do for the Jedi at the moment. But Master Ti would have to be informed of all this. A Jedi in the clutches of the Empire. Tsui frowned. Things had just gotten more complicated.

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With the four frigates distracting the attention of the Empire, it was time for the next part of the plan. The _Silver Blade _left the _Liberty _and the _Freedom _at the edge of the system and then travelled towards Kashyyyk. As soon as they arrived, they were struck by the amount of Destroyers in orbit around the planet. There was at least six _Victory_sand five _Imperial_s. A group of _Venator_s and _Accumulator_s were going down to the planet, probably another garrison force. According to the news, the Wookiees weren't very keen on the occupation. But it was the twelve Imperial/Mandalorian Dungeon ships that worried them. Each one could hold up to three hundred Wookiees and ferry them away for parts unknown.

"look at that." Vella said in awe.

"I've never seen so many ships." Teecee added.

"You obviously weren't at Coruscant when General Grievous attacked." Whie said.

"Nope. Oh sithspawn." Syron complained as the comm activated.

"Incoming ship, this is the Star Destroyer _Execrutix_. State your intentions."

Syron nodded to Vella, who take the comm and purred in a seductive voice.

"I'm a slaver deary. I'm only here to pick up a few Wookiees and flog them on for a profit. Nothing to worry about."

The man at the other end hissed.

"Independent slavers aren't allowed to pick up Wookiees yet."

Shaak Ti cursed. This was not good.

"Oh I'm so sorry. I thought it was today they became available." Vella said sweetly.

The man appeared to be conversing with his commander.

"Governor Tarkin says you can pass. You're only a day early. So you can land, as long as you don't take more than ten, and we get twenty five percent of your profit."

"Right darling. As you want." Vella purred and cut the transmission.

"Very good." Shaak Ti said appreciatively.

"Thanks. Talk about your close calls." Vella said in relief.

"Now what do we do?" Serra asked.

"Right. We land, and you, Vella and Syron go out to bid for some Wookiees. Dyren and Teecee will then let some of the Wookiees out of their cages, and help Softy get them onto the ship. Meanwhile, I will go to the landing area and try and gather some more and cause a bit of mess." Shaak Ti said.

"And what about us?" Scout asked grumpily.

"Well you aren't really suited Scout." Whie said.

Silence descended. Scout turned and glared at Whie with a hurt expression on her face. She then fled the room, wiping her eyes.

"What are you going to do? You're going to apologise to Scout and keep the engines primed." Shaak Ti said in a disapproving tone.

"Really know how to unlock a girl's emotions don't you?" Vella asked grumpily.

Whie was scarlet and apologising.

"It's no good apologising to us. It's Scout you upset." Serra snarled.

"Hey, leave him alone. He's new to this." Syron said.

"Doesn't excuse it." Dyren added.

Softy started to chortle with laughter.

"Laugh it up fuzzball. These Jedi don't have a clue what romance is. They're all to keen to moan at poor Whie because he made a mistake, when they don't have a clue what they're doing themselves."

"Master Ti has had a relationship."

Shaak Ti started choking in shock and horror. Vella turned to her with an innocent expression.

"Really?"

"I never had a relationship with anyone." She said defiantly.

"Oh really? So what were you doing with Master Koon all that time?" Dyren asked.

Shaak Ti went even more red than normal.

"Nothing. Now, Syron, you may be right in the fact that we have no right to judge Whie, but he was tactless."

"True. Don't worry kid. I'll give you, Dyren and Zett lessons in romance."

Shaak Ti grabbed his ear.

"Dyren and Whie I don't mind, but Zett's too young for a girlfriend." She snapped.

Vella smiled.

"You obviously haven't seen the way he looks at Senna." She grinned.

Shaak Ti shot a withering glance at her, and she bowed her head to hide her giggles.

"I take it you've abandoned the rules that Jedi cant love." Teecee said sarcastically.

"For the moment."

They grinned. Shaak Ti shook her head.

"Right! Enough! Go! Carry out your missions! And Whie, for the moment, yours is the most important!"

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Whie entered Scout's room to find her crying on the bed. He sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry." He said, and he meant it.

She looked at him with tear filled eyes.

"I know. I get it. Scout, the Jedi who doesn't have the Force. The laughing stock of the temple because she doesn't have the Force as much as everyone else. I heard it enough from all the other students. Even the Masters. So what if I don't have the Force as much as everyone else. Doesn't mean I'm any less of a person."

"I know." Whie said guiltily.

"But you were different. All the time I knew you, you never judged me just because I couldn't use the Force as much as everyone else. And now you've become as bad as all the rest."

He watched her in despair. He hadn't meant to hurt her. It had just happened. Unsure, he put his arm around her and hugged her to him. She was still crying, but less so now.

"I'm really sorry Scout. I didn't mean to hurt you."

She sniffed.

"I know. I just thought you would never judge me. But now you have, I cant get my head around it. You were the only one who never prejudged me. Now you're as bad as the rest."

Whie rubbed her back.

"I said I was sorry."

She smiled.

"And that's the only reason you're still here. No one else ever said sorry to me for judging me because I was weaker than the rest. You did."

Whie smiled and he still held her until she stopped crying.

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Syron, Vella and Serra were standing on the platform, sniffing the air of Kashyyyk. The lush green planet had an undercurrent of despair and fear to it. Even Syron could feel it. He walked towards the officer, and told them off their situation. The officer nodded and led them to a large cage filled with fifty Wookiees. Serra couldn't believe the cruelty. They were all thin, hungry, and broken. She kept her cool however. Slavery was nothing new. But seeing the proud and mighty Wookiees reduced to mere slaves was terrible. She looked at Syron.

"Fifteen thousand credits for all of them." he said.

The officer laughed.

"They may be vermin, but they're worth far more than that."

Serra struggled to keep her rage in place. This man was treating the Wookiees like dirt. But, he was soon to get his comeuppance. She watched as Dyren and Teecee snuck out of the ship and crept across to the cages behind them. Dyren used the Force to break open the cages, and then there was a terrible roar. The officer jerked in fear, and then all the blood rushed from his face, as three cages of angry Wookiees surged out and attacked. Serra then used the Force to open the other two cages, and let the other Wookiees out. The hairy beings dashed out and started to attack the Imperials. The officer shouted and stormtroopers came running up to the landing pad. The Wookiees were on them throwing them like rag dolls. Serra grinned and leapt into the fray, helping Dyren slice the stormtroopers in half. Syron, Vella, Softy and Teecee were all firing from the hold of the ship, killing more and more stormies. Serra watched as Shaak Ti slipped away to the slave pad, and continued to slice the clones apart.

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Leaving the riot at the pad behind, Shaak Ti quickly made her way through the trees until she reached a large clearing. There were hundreds of clones, and thousands of Wookiees and hundreds of different species that had been trapped here when the Empire had attacked. The Wookiees looked like their spirit was broken. Time to see about mending it. Heavily armed clones, backed up by several walkers that had their weapons pointed at the clearing to ensure the compliance of the captives. Shaak Ti slipped into the group of off-worlders and waited. One man was moaning.

"Every day they inspect and count us. Then every day they shuffle us about. When are they going to let us go?"

Shaak Ti shook her head. They had every right to be angry. The Empire had seized their ships, trapped them on planet, and made them all prisoners. The Wookiees howled as the clones jabbed them with their rifles and forced them into a line. A dungeon ship, a huge monstrosity of Mandalorian design, looking like a Dreadnaught with a see through box at the back. Several shuttles and landing craft had landed too. Shaak Ti smiled. Now, if they could get rid of the walkers, they would have a clear field. Another dungeon ship landed on the planet, backed up by another load of shuttles. Two more Carrack cruisers landed beside it. Perfect. They were all being shipped out at last.

"Now you know why they kept this up. They're shipping us all out today for parts unknown." A Duros said.

A Wookiee started wailing in fear, and the clones mercilessly shot him. The other Wookiees roared in rage, as did the other captives. Three people were shot down, as were two more Wookiees before silence returned. The clones then started jostling up the lines of people, demanding ID. Shaak Ti was worried. There were a lot of people on those cruisers, and they needed them all to get everyone in this clearing off planet. Clones were brutalising a man who didn't want to be separated from his daughter, who as crying. They hit him with their rifles, making the child cry all the louder. Shaak Ti sighed. This was going to be impossible. Maybe they should quit while they were ahead and leave with the two hundred and fifty Wookiees from the platform.

"Not good is it?"

Shaak Ti turned to the woman beside her. The woman seemed well enough, but Shaak Ti could tell she was worried, yet happy at the same time.

"It's been like this ever since the attack. The Wookiees don't like being bossed around. The clones have to kill them just to keep order."

Then Shaak Ti made it click. This woman was a Miralian, a human with tattoos. She had been on Kashyyyk for quite some time.

"Well let's see what we cant do about that shall we? Master Luminara."

The woman smiled.

"It's good to see you Master Ti."

Shaak Ti couldn't believe it. Luminara Unduli, one of those thought dead during Order 66, was alive and talking to her.

"I was recovering during the attack. They found me and brought me here. Since then, we've been plotting our escape. We faced the same problem that you now do. How to get everyone out of here."

"I see. It's wonderful to see you alive. We must catch up, but things must be taken care of first. We need to take over those ships."

Luminara nodded, then scratched her head. A clone over the other side saw her and nodded.

"Don't worry. It's because of him that I'm still alive. He didn't want to kill me, bless him. He's on our side."

Shaak Ti nodded.

"I trust your judgement my friend. But forgive me for feeling rather anti-clone at the moment."

Luminara smiled.

"So, what's the plan?"

Shaak Ti smiled.

"You have your lightsaber?"

"Dice has it. The crates at the far side, they're filled with weapons. If we sue the Force, we can get everyone a blaster to use."

Shaak Ti smiled.

"Then they see us and get swept up in a wave of patriotism?"

"Something like that."

Luminara was just getting ready when there was a massive roar. A clan of heavily armed Wookiees shot out of the forest, bowcasters firing. The clones were caught by surprise. Troops spilled from the cruisers in an attempt to stop the clan, but they were determined. Clones were shot down by the merciless Wookiees.

"Fantastic!" one man said as he watched the Wookiees attack.

Then something caught the attention of Shaak Ti and Luminara. Three figures came from behind, and then leapt through the air. Then lightsabers lit in their hands.

"Jedi!" Shaak Ti said in delight.

"Well, when you've got it you've got it!" Luminara said over the din.

The air was filled with screams of clones and others as the Wookiees and the Jedi attacked. Shouts of encouragement could be heard from the Wookiees and the others.

Shaak Ti turned to Luminara.

"I think its time we add our own brand of chaos into the bargain."

Luminara nodded.

"Dice!"

Dice nodded, then threw her lightsaber. He then started firing on the other clones. The Wookiees, seeing he was a friend, attacked with him.

Luminara caught her blade and leapt into the air, Shaak Ti following. Their blades sliced through the legs of one walker.

Shaak Ti turned to the prisoners and the Wookiees.

"If you want to get out of here, take up arms and fight!"

She used the Force to open the weapons crates. As expected, everyone seized a blaster and started firing at the clones. The clearing was a mirage of blasterfire as the former prisoners, the Wookiees and the Jedi attacked the Imperial oppressors. People surged from their ships, looking terrified, before falling to the insurgence.

Then, as they sensed victory, an AT-AT, backed up by three AT-STs, arrived in the clearing.

"We're dead." Dice observed.

Then, two ships shot into the clearing and fired, destroying the walkers.

"Who's our rescuer?"

Shaak Ti shrugged and watched happily as the Wookiees finished off the clones. The only one left alive was Dice. She walked towards the three Jedi.

"Master Ti!"

Shaak Ti smiled. The three Jedi were alive!

Quinlan Vos, a Jedi who had always struggled with the dark side, was grinning at her. He had been a double agent during the warm until the Siege of Saleucami, when he turned back to the light and became a full Jedi.

Tholme, Quin's former master, was an older Jedi of great intelligence. He had fabricated many plots during the war.

And the last was the Neti Jedi Tra Saa, a Jedi of great wisdom and healing prowess.

"It's good to see you all!" she exclaimed.

"and you!"

Luminara came up to them.

"Master Luminara!"

"Hello Quin."

It was a short buy joyous reunion, as Quin explained everything. How he had barely survived Order 66, had recovered with help from Vilmarh Grahrk, then went to find his wife, Khaleen Hentz and his son, Korto Vos. He had then formed a resistance movement of the former Palsaang tribe after the Conquest, and had been attacking ever since.

"Its good to see you Master Ti."

"And you Master Tholme."

A large Wookiee walked over, a younger one in his stead.

"This is Gumbaeki. I'm glad to see you live my friend." Luminara said.

The Wookiee roared, as did the younger one.

"This is his grandson Chak." Tra added.

A Devaronian and a woman carrying a baby walked over.

"We did it!" the woman exclaimed.

"Happy now? Villie go now!"

Quin smiled.

"Master Ti, Master Unduli, this is my wife Khaleen, my son Korto and my friend Vilmarh."

The two Jedi inclined their heads, and bubbled with excitement at the baby.

"We have no time. The Empire wont let us get away with this." Tholme said.

"I agree."

A man came up to them.

"We'll follow you anywhere. Just say the word."

Shaak Ti nodded.

"Right, how many people are here?" she asked the man.

"Roughly thirty thousand Wookiees, twelve thousand others."

"Good. Right, if we get half the Wookiees onto each ship, get the others onto the two Carracks and all the shuttles. The Wookiees can split themselves between the two dungeon ships. They can carry a lot of people."

The man nodded and gave the orders.

"According to my calculations, we can get everyone off the planet." Dice said happily.

"Good."

An hour later, everyone was aboard the cruisers that could get on. Being able to carry nine thousand passengers at any given time, the two dungeon ships were essential for getting everyone aboard. That, included with the large crew, was enough to get about ten thousand on each transport. The two ships were full, and the two Carracks carried one and a half thousand people each.

"We're short. The ships are full to burst, and we can't get everyone off planet." Tra said sadly.

"We have to try." Shaak Ti moaned.

At least seven thousand people still remained. Fortunately, the Empire still hadn't heard of their attack.

"Where's a Star Destroyer when we need one?" Quin demanded.

"I don't know about a Star Destroyer, but there's a Corvette coming in." Khaleen said.

Shaak Ti smiled.

"Don't worry. They're on our side."

The Corvette landed, and a while later, Syron poked his head out of the door. It was full of massive Wookiee bodies.

"We got everyone off the platform. We're nearly full."

"Thank you Syron. But we're still short. Seven thousand people cant get off planet."

Syron squeezed between the Wookiees and came down. He was introduced to the new Jedi, and the Wookiee elders, and turned to Master Ti.

"Well, the Empire doesn't know about our attack yet. We could try and con them out of another dungeon ship."

Quin shook his head.

"Wont work. Only two per haul. The others have to wait."

Shaak Ti thought.

"What about one of the cruisers?"

"Impossible. The Star Destroyers would rip them apart." Syron said grimly.

"We can't just leave them here." Khaleen said.

"You any other ships Jedi?" Villie asked.

"Yes, but they would all be shot down before they got here. And they're too far away anyway."

It was certainly a problem.

"The dungeon ship's our best bet." Tra said.

"We can't get them though." Quin said.

Gumbaeki roared.

"That could work."

Luminara looked interested.

"What could?"

"Gumbaeki has a Wookiee battlecruiser. That should get most of the remaining people off the planet. The two frigates that come with it would get the rest off the planet." Quin explained.

"Where are they?" Shaak Ti asked in interest.

"Just waiting Gumbaeki's call." Quin smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fifteen minutes later, a massive Wookiee battle cruiser arrived, with two Wookiee frigates. The cruiser, named the _Zaalbar_, was a large ship, grey, several hundred metres long. It was a large box, with a claw on the top, and two wings sticking out the side. The frigates were backward claws with a bridge in them. Soon, everyone was loaded aboard the cruisers, the stragglers squeezed onto Vilmarh's ship, the _Inferno_, and Quin's ship, the _Skorp-Ion_. Shaak Ti and Luminara squeezed through massive, hairy Wookiee bodies to the bridge, and then gave the order. With that, the two dungeon ships, the Corvette, the two Carracks, twelve Theta shuttles, fifteen Sentinel landing craft, the _Katarn _class frigate and the _Akannua _class cruiser sped for space. They weren't home yet though. They still had the Destroyers to worry about. And they knew. As soon as they left the atmosphere, the fleet opened fire.

"Not good." Vella snarled.

Fighters sped at them from all directions, trying to take down the massive refugee movement.

"Would somebody be nice enough to take the gun turrets?" Syron yelled.

A massive roar deafened them. Scratching his ear, Syron nodded.

"I'd take that as a yes."

The turrets started firing, and now the fight was on.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tarkin, the ruthless and ambitious Governor, looked at the fleet leaving the planet.

"Kill them all." He ordered mercilessly.

They would pay for their insolence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Turbolaser fire lit up the space as the fleet got into the Imperial battalion. The comm beeped.

"We're going to be space dust if we keep this up much longer!" Quin yelled.

"I know. But be calm. Help is coming." Shaak Ti soothed.

"Hope you right Jedi!" Villie yelled.

With that, the _Freedom _and the _Liberty _swept in system, cannons blazing. The Star Destroyers turned to face the new threat.

"Yes!"

With one last burst of acceleration, the damaged ships flew through the storm of fire and out of danger.

"Prepare for lightspeed." Syron said happily.

Then another Star Destroyer appeared. It was the _Brutality_. Then Shaak Ti felt who commanded it.

"It's Carhac!"

"What?" Syron demanded.

"Who's Carhac?" Luminara asked from outside, sounding muffled by all the Wookiees.

"Later!"

"Who gave him a Star Destroyer?" Vella asked.

"Never mind that. We're clear! Go!"

And with that, the entire fleet sprang into lightspeed and escaped Kashyyyk.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tarkin swore.

"Why didn't they stop them?"

"They weren't in range sir."

Tarkin hissed.

"The Emperor will need to hear of this. Tell that commander to do what he will. Meanwhile, set your course for Coruscant." He ordered.

Then, the _Execrutix _leapt away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We did it!" Shaak Ti shouted.

"The most daring raid ever!" Teecee seconded.

"But now what do we do with them all?" Syron asked.

"Force knows." Shaak Ti said lamely.

"So, your usual foresight and planning went into this then Master Ti?" Teecee asked sarcastically.

"Can it." She snapped.

"Well, we'll need people to fly the fighters once we get them." Vella said.

Softy roared in agreement.

"And they wont all want to stay with us." Syron said.

"True. We'll see. A solution will present itself. But, until then, we can celebrate our victory."

She then let out a great whoop. It was sound joined by a joyous, if not muffled roar. Shaak Ti laughed.

**Well, there you have it. sorry it took so long, but I started my new timetable at school and got a bit sidetracked. But should be back on track now! So, they've just pulled off the most daring liberation ever. So, what will happen next? Keep an eye out of rthe badguys introduced, Penish and Tarkin. We havent seen the last of them. And next chapter sees a new baddie, and more Jedi! Please review!**

**Byt the way, the Wookiee cruiser is like the Hex Deployers in the Jedi Stardfighter game, the Dungeon ships are the ones in Dark Empire, and Dice and Luminara are a continuation of my Order 66 story, which I promise to finish after i'm up to speed on this one.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

11

Vader bowed.

"Very well my master."

"Very good Lord Vader. Now that they will be dealt with, where is Shaak Ti?"

"As I already told you my master, we are tracing her as we speak. I gave Commander Carhac a fleet to pursue her."

Palpatine looked thoughtful.

"I know him. Brutal guy. We charged him with Home Security before you nicked him."

"The very same."

"Ah a good choice that. However, the Navy will need to be clamed. They wont appreciate a clone in a top position."

"Yes my master."

Palpatine turned his yellow eyes to Vader.

"however, we should not have to be chasing after her. How did she survive?"

Vader bristled with fury. Was it his fault that she had escaped, the blasted woman?

"We duelled into the Council chamber, but like your fight with Yoda, she was weakened by the deaths of the Jedi. I think that was the only reason that I gained the upper hand so easily. She outsmarted me in the council chamber then leapt out of the window. I assumed she had killed herself."

"Apparently not. However, you can be forgiven for being out smarted by her. She's one of the most cunning in the Order. Or was. But how did she escape Coruscant?"

Vader shrugged.

"We weren't searching for her. We thought everyone she travelled with was dead, especially the two boys and Serra Keto. I thought I had killed Whie and Serra, and Commander Fox thought he had killed Zett. We didn't find out until one of Carhac's men mentioned seeing a rather odd looking group. He came to me, we put two and two together and found out she still lived. She then escaped Rogue Station by sheer luck. By that time I knew about her and was chasing her down. I just missed her at Kessel. Carhac and I missed her at Mon Calamari because of the incompetence of Governor Ceriss. And she escaped us at Rhen Var through sheer luck too."

Palpatine sat back on his throne. They were alone in the throne room, a massive, decorated affair, covered in red and black. A large window was behind the Emperor. Aside from the guards, they were alone.

"Hmm. Seems we have had the worst luck in the galaxy in chasing down this woman. Let Commander Carhac deal with the dear girl. If not, by the time you finish on Korriban, you may resume your chase after her."

"Thank you my master."

The door opened behind them, emitting Tarkin, the stern faced governor of the Seswanna Sector, Sly Moore, one of the Emperor's aides and Mas Amedda, the Speaker of the Senate.

"My master." Amedda said gracefully.

Moore and Tarkin both inclined their heads, but he could tell by the look on Tarkin's face that the dear governor was not in the best of humours today.

Palpatine saw this too.

"What is it?"

Tarkin looked sour.

"You recall that we spent quite a lot of time, effort and energy attacking Kashyyyk to secure slaves to help build the Death Star."

"Of course Tarkin, I was there." Vader snarled.

Reminders of his adventures on Zonama Sekot didn't endear the man to Vader.

"And it's been news for weeks. So what's happened?"

"One of the landing pads where the Wookiees where was raided yesterday. Thirty thousand Wookiees escaped the planet."

Deadly silence met these words. Vader was sure he had misheard.

"How many?"

"Thirty thousand."

Palpatine looked furious.

"How?"

Tarkin turned to Vader.

"From Shaak Ti and her Jedi allies."

The room was silent.

"You have two minutes. Explain." The Emperor snarled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I think we underestimated the number of Wookiees we would rescue." Jeisel said delicately.

Shaak Ti rubbed her forehead.

"I thought a couple of hundred. Not thirty thousand."

Tsui was trying hard not to laugh.

"Look on the bright side." K'kruhk said.

"What bright side?" Bultar demanded.

"We only have seven thousand Wookiees to find jobs for."

Shaak Ti wailed in despair.

"Yes. When you thought up this plan, did you think of any possible consequences?" Tholme asked.

"No." Shaak Ti moaned.

"Bad planning." Tra said with a smile.

"We have a large problem. We have a dungeon ship full of Wookiees who are standing idle and going nuts. They cant be kept in so small a proximity for so long. We need to find jobs for them." Quin stated.

"Easy for you to say. You don't need to be responsible for their survival." Shaak Ti said sadly.

"It could have been worse. We might not have had two extra Carracks to put people onto." Whie smiled.

Meena Tills, Serra, Dyren, Scout, Zett and Senna were all stuffing their hands in their mouths. It was very amusing seeing how well the plan had come off, but how badly it had worked afterwards.

Shaak Ti took a deep shuddering breath.

"I haven't slept since we rescued them. I see Wookiees. They're in my dreams. I turn around and see Wookiees. I'm cracking up. I wake up and see Wookiees. I go to sleep and see Wookiees. They're everywhere! Wookiees!"

She burst into tears of rage and despair. It was too much. The entire room burst into laughter as poor Shaak Ti started banging her head against the table. Vella and Syron entered the room to see them all laughing and Shaak Ti crashing her head against the table.

"What's wrong with her?" Vella asked.

"She appears to be suffering a mental breakdown." Teecee muttered.

Softy came in and she looked up.

"Wookiees!"

Softy howled in amusement. Shaak Ti gave up, fell from her chair and started bawling.

Vella tapped Tra on the shoulder.

"Are you a healer?"

"Yes why?"

"Well, in case of emergencies, I need to be brought up to speed."

"Oh certainly dear! We'll start right away. Get away from here."

Shaak Ti was howling in sorrow at the amount of Wookiees.

"Will we start with psychiatry?" Vela asked.

Tra looked pityingly at Shaak Ti.

"Definitely."

They hastily made their escape while Whie and Scout took it on themselves to help poor Shaak Ti to her feet. Then Gumbaeki entered.

"More Wookiees!"

"Sad soul." K'kruhk muttered.

"It affects us all." Quasal said in mock sorrow.

"How the mighty have fallen." Jeisel stated with a smile.

"Another poor gormless idiot." Tholme said.

"We'll take her to her room." Scout said.

"You always called me a poor gormless idiot! But I never got sent home!"

"Ah, but you made one mistake. You never said one word over and over. For instance, when Master Windu tried to convince everyone he was made, he stuck his underpants on his head, two pencils up his nose and said 'wibble.'"

It was too much. Vilmarh and Khaleen cackled with laughter. Chak and Gumbaeki joined in. In spite of himself, Quin started too. Syron shook his head.

"The ship's full of madmen." He moaned.

"You let them on." Teecee said accusingly.

"They're like a rash. They just keep spreading."

Rox whistled in amusement, and Softy huffed with laughter.

"Wookiees!" Shaak Ti cried from her room.

"Oh dear."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Emperor exploded in fury.

"Fools! Imbeciles! Idiots!"

The people present cowered in fear.

"How can you be so stupid!?"

He was apocalyptic with rage.

"She is one woman!"

He turned to Vader, spittle flying from his mouth.

"This is all your fault for letting her escape in the first place! Fool! Find her and kill her!"

He rounded on Tarkin.

"And you! You were charged with the transport of the Wookiees! It's no one's fault but yours that so many escaped because you cant adequately carry out your orders!"

He turned to Amedda.

"And you! You are meant to coordinate all these things! So coordinate! She is allowed to move freely because you can't do what you are meant to do! Tell governments! Do anything! Just stop her!"

And then he rounded on Sly Moore.

"And as for you, you are meant to prevent these idiots from coming to see me! And you failed!"

The four were cowering in fear.

"Vader! Go on your mission, then find her and kill her!"

Vader bowed in haste.

"Tarkin! Get more Wookiees to build my space station and don't let nay more escape!"

Tarkin bowed in fear.

"Amedda! Put out a general alert for that blasted woman! I want her found and our property returned!"

Amedda headed for the door as quick as he could managed.

"And Moore, stop all my appointments for the rest of the day! I'm away to meditate!"

He then stormed out of the room like a massive black bat, his two Red Guards following.

Moore leaned into Vader, Tarkin and Amedda as they left the room.

"He has anger issues."

They then started laughing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shaak Ti jerked awake.

"Wookiees!"

She sighed.

"I'm cracking up. Going mad. Insane."

She sat down at her dresser and looked into the mirror. She saw more wrinkles than she had before everything happened. She had accumulated more since she had rescued the Wookiees. She had never expected to get so many. Now she needed to find jobs for seven thousand very short tempered Wookiees. If they had fighters, that would reduce the amount they needed but not by a lot.

"Bloody Wookiees." She cried.

She was the leader. She had made this rebellion, small though it was. She was in charge. Everyone's welfare was her responsibility. The Jedi, the Wookiees, the Mon Cals and all the people rescued from Kashyyyk. It was all her duty.

"Wookiees are the main problem though. Wookiees!"

What they really needed was another cruiser. A large cruiser that could be run by seven thousand Wookiees. She banged her head against the desk. She was in charge of them? How was she meant to find something to keep them all occupied until she had a solution?

"Bloody Wookiees."

There was a quiet knock at the door.

"Enter."

Tsui came in, looking bemused.

"It's the back of two in the morning. Here I am, having a lovely dream about a nice villa on Naboo, when I'm woken up by you yelling Wookiees."

She smiled apologetically.

"Sorry. Nobody else wakes up. Syron, Vella and Softy sleep like logs, and so do the children. K'kruhk snores so loudly that Jeisel, Bultar, Serra and Dyren cant hear over it anyway."

Tsui shook his head pityingly.

"I know you're responsible for them my dear, but you cant do everything. Until we find something to do with them, they're just going to have to grin and bear it. True, the vast majority of our little rebellion is now made up of Wookiees, but so what? You're losing it for something you don't need to lose it over. So, we have an abundance of Wookiees. We have seven thousand idle ones. So what?"

Shaak Ti smiled.

"You're right my friend. As usual. I just seem them everywhere. Its my fault they're all stuck doing the same thing. I see them at all times. It's driving me mad."

Tsui smiled.

"You need to get away from here for a while. Tell you what. We'll go to Tatooine and look for ships there. It will let us stretch our legs and get you away from all the Wookiees."

She smiled.

"Very well. We'll go to Tatooine. Syron can show us the highlights of the lovely place."

Tsui headed towards the door.

"See you in the morning. Now, go to sleep! And if I hear one more cry of 'Wookiees' I will not be best pleased!"

Shaak Ti smiled and went to bed. She got an hours sleep before it happened again.

"Wookiees!" she screamed.

"SHAAK TI!" Tsui yelled from his room next door.

"Whoops."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tatooine?" Syron asked sceptically.

"I need to get out of here. I see Wookiees everywhere and I'm going mad." Shaak Ti said.

"You already where mad." Teecee said as he walked past.

She used the Force to trip him up and knock him into a crew pit. He swore loudly.

"We all need a break. The fleet will be fine here." Jeisel soothed.

"And I need a decent night's sleep!" Tsui shouted.

Vella snorted.

"Tatooine it is then." Syron said.

"We need to go there anyway. We're owed money."

"We'll need a stop off at a route station. The nav computer doesn't like going to Tatooine for some reason." Syron complained.

"I told you about that years ago." Vella moaned.

"You said no such thing."

"Did to."

"No you didn't."

Sensing an argument Shaak Ti hastily made her escape.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Vader was sitting in his meditation chamber when an image of Carhac sprang to life.

"Lord Vader." He said with a bow.

"Commander. Good to see you. Governor Tarkin isn't very pleased with you."

"I couldn't change my angle in time. I couldn't do anything about it." Carhac said defensively.

"I know. What is it?"

Carhac scuffed his feet.

"We've lost track of Shaak Ti."

Vader sighed.

"You aren't the only ones. The Emperor threw a massive tantrum yesterday because we haven't killed her yet."

"Surprised you're still alive."

Vader smiled. Carhac certainly didn't mince words or feelings.

"So am I to tell the truth. We've all lost her. Force knows where she is. She's as difficult to find as a straw of hay in a massive stack full of needles."

Carhac nodded. Vader was interrupted from his musings when his secretary entered. The secretary was very pale, obviously knowing she was skirting on the edge of death.

"I warned you that I don't like any interruptions when I'm meditating or on the phone. Its very annoying and its rude."

"But sir, someone says he has to see you. Regarding Tatooine."

Vader prayed for patience, but nodded.

"Send him in."

Carhac watched in interest as a man entered the room, looking nervous.

"Well?" Vader demanded.

"I have news regarding Shaak Ti my lord. She's going to Tatooine."

Vader sighed in exasperation.

"Typical bloody woman. Makes us work for our fun. Cow."

Vader turned to Carhac.

"How quickly can you get there?"

Carhac shook his head.

"Not quickly enough. She'll be there and gone by the time I get there. It's a long way to Tatooine from Kashyyyk."

Vader turned to the officer.

"Your name?"

"Teech sir."

"Well Lieutenant Teech, you are now promoted to captain. Congratulations."

The officer saluted.

"Thank you sir!"

"How did you come by this information Captain?"

"They stopped off at Stellar Point Five to do a reading. I have a friend who works there and he told me."

"How kind. Thank you captain. That will be all."

Teech bowed enthusiastically and left.

"Who will you send seeing as I cant get there in time?"

Vader smiled.

"A man every bit as brutal as you, but more subtle."

Vader activated another link.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Deep, black, sparkling space. In the midst of this dark space, there was a large, bone white metal object: the hull of a Star Destroyer. There were five other Star Destroyers surrounding this one, all of the brand new _Imperial _class. Two Interdictor Cruisers were part of the fleet. Three Dreadnaughts flew in close formation, backed up by two Carrack Cruisers, and the two tear drop like Imperial Escort Carriers. This was the fleet of a cunning, subtle, evil man, who had gotten through the Republic by hiding his atrocities.

The bridge of the Star Destroyer _Serpent _was silent as the Admiral walked onto the bridge. He was an evil man, who carefully covered his tracks in the Republic, where they would have likely been his downfall. But now, in the Empire, they were the reason for his ascension.

The man was tall, with dark, brooding eyes, a straight nose and a sour look. He was clean shaved, but had a scar over his left eye. He had thin black hair that crowned his head. This was the man who had killed a planet. This was the man who had commanded the assault on Caamas. This was Admiral Commodore Snake.

A hologram flickered to life. Snake turned.

"Lord Vader." He said in a deep modulated voice.

"Admiral Snake."

The two men certainly respected each other. Snake, who had seen Vader fight, thought he was one of the best in the business. Vader, who had seen the results Snake always brought about, thought he was one of the best in the business.

"No luck tracking Master Ti then?"

Snake was one of the few in the upper echelons of the Empire who knew of the predicament.

"Yes actually. I have just been informed that she is on her way to Tatooine. I am unable to get there in time, as is Commander Carhac. I want you to go to Tatooine and stop her. Permanently."

Snake inclined his head.

"It will be a pleasure Lord Vader."

"Good luck Admiral."

Vader flickered off. Snake turned to his captain.

"Alert all commands. Prepare the fleet for hyperspace and set your course for the Tatooine system."

The captain bowed eagerly and went about his business. Soon, he would have Shaak Ti in her grasp. And he would tighten that grip until she died.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tatooine was a ball of dust and wind. Nothing on it but a few sparse settlements and moisture farms. Syron took them down in Mos Osnoe, a small town that had been of use to Echuu Shen Jon at the beginning of the Clone Wars. The plan was simple: while Syron, Vella, Softy and Teecee collected their dues, the others would get a few supplies, some weapons, stretch their legs and relax a bit. Shaak Ti stretched. The heat hit her instantly, but she didn't mind. Anything was better than a ship for the better part of six months. She rushed out of the spaceport, enjoying the feeling of fresh air for once.

"Child." Tsui said, but happily followed her.

Quin and Khaleen came out, holding a sun parasol of Vella's over their heads to keep the baby in the shade. They had came over from the _Skorp-Ion _to try and relieve some of the pressure of the Wookiees. Vilmarh saw a Twi'lek woman and started to follow her. K'kruhk and Jeisel went off to the market place. Tholme and Tra went to a bar. Whie and the rest of the children went for a look around, while Serra and Dyren dealt with customs. Syron and Vella entered a small cantina covered by an awning to protect it from the sun. The saw their contact. He was an old Rodian.

"Ah, my friends! How nice to see you!"

"Hello Prado. Do you have our money?"

He handed over the cheque.

"Thank you." Syron said.

"So what's been going on?"

Prado scratched his snout.

"The Empire."

"We've noticed." Teecee said sourly.

"It's been coming down hard on everything illegal. The Hutts are not happy."

They had a deal. They would bring in rare supplies from Rodia and he would sell them on and pay them, they would tell him what was going on in the galaxy and he would tell them how it was affecting Tatooine.

"What are they doing?" Syron asked.

"Pulling over Jabba's ships for one. The other Hutts are smelling blood. He's lost three in one month. It's the one in charge of this sector. He's an evil bugger. But the Empire's forces here are totally loyal to him."

"So how badly is Tatooine suffering?"

"Very. Without Jabba peddling spice and losing out, he cant keep funding everything on Tatooine. People are going poor and getting cranky."

Then Vella noticed how quiet it was.

"Where is everyone?"

Prado looked tired.

"Ever since the war finished, the Tusken Raiders have been attacking small towns. People are worried it will happen here."

Shaak Ti came in. Syron looked at her as she answered her comlink.

"What?"

"We have a problem. A large problem."

There was a warbling war cry that cut short the reply. Prado paled.

"Shit."

Outside there was a massive clan of Tusken Raiders, looking murderous. There were hundreds of them. They were all dressed in their sand coloured robes and riding massive hairy banthas. Gadafferi sticks were in their hands. They were gesturing towards Mos Osnoe in anger and excitement.

"What did Serra want?" Teecee asked Shaak Ti asked discreetly.

"Remember at Rogue Station how it all went tits up when two Star Destroyers arrived?"

"Yes."

Shaak Ti sighed.

"Now its even worse. There's an entire Imperial fleet in orbit. So the day's just went incredibly downhill. And even worse, they're deploying a landing force."

It was by far the worst situation they had ever been in.

"Great. A Tusken Raider army is attacking on one side, and an Imperial Fleet attacking from above. What fun. How many ships are there anyway?"

Shaak Ti smiled grimly.

"Six Star Destroyers. And a load of other ships, including Interdictors."

Teecee sighed.

"Pish."

**I know I promised Jedi, but I decided to change the layout a little bit. They appear next chapter. Shaak Ti's really in a sticky situation this time. Admiral Snake's fleet has just arrived and a Tusken Raider army is attacking. Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars (to my ever lasting regret)**

12

"Well, that's definitely going to upset someone's day. The Tuskens are organised, like they were after the Battle of Naboo. Like someone's leading them. Evil sods. Time to get out of here." Prado said.

He beckoned to the other people in the bar and left, patrons following. He turned.

"I suggest you get out of here while you still can."

As soon as they left, the Jedi rushed in. Outside, terrified locals were fleeing the town. Mos Osnoe was done for. Either the Tuskens destroyed it, or the fleet destroyed it.

"Well Master Ti?" Vella asked.

She sighed.

"We cant leave those that remain behind to their fate. We need to hold off the Tuskens long enough for them to flee." She said sadly.

Whie made a rude noise.

"Then we get attacked by the Imps. We cant do both."

"We can if we hold them off for a while, then leave. Hopefully we'll get out before they arrive. Come on."

The Tuskens war cry cut across the air as three leaders gestured to their troops. They were getting ready to strike. Above them, transports bearing troops and tanks were coming from the ships in orbit.

"Who's in charge of the fleet?" K'kruhk asked.

Jeisel soured.

"A man named Snake."

Shaak Ti stopped short.

"Commodore Snake?"

"Yeah why?" Syron asked.

Shaak Ti growled.

"I know him of old." She snarled.

"As do I." Tsui muttered.

"Later." Zett urged as he took out his lightsaber.

The Jedi all followed suit. People were running past, their most basic or precious possessions in their arms. The Jedi all brought their lightsabers into their hands and prepared to fight. Syron took out his blaster.

"Master Ti, Mos Osnoe isn't a battleground. The buildings are low, and the town's small. Not the most ideal of places for a massive battle." He said.

She knew that.

"I know. You cant fire down on them, they'll catch you. Get behind some alcoves and come out to fire. That's the best you can do."

People weren't even stopping to look at this mad group of Jedi that were about to take on the Tusken army. They were just focused on getting out. Dozens of people ran past them screaming, and landspeeders shot past as the Jedi waited for the Tuskens to attack. Ships shot out of the landing bays, trying to get to other towns where they could avoid the Tuskens and the Empire. Shaak Ti could see the transports flying down now, backed up by V-wings. She knew instantly what they planned to do.

"We're in trouble."

There was near silence as the wind blew and the sand parted. And then, with an almighty cry, the Tuskens shot down from the sandy slope atop their hairy steeds and dashed towards Mos Osnoe.

"It's days like this that make you wish you had stayed in bed." Luminara complained.

The Tuskens came running into the city, their sticks and rifles flashing in the sun. The Jedi leapt at the Tuskens, Shaak Ti going for the three who seemed to be the leaders, as they were barking out orders. As the Tuskens started blasting apart homes and people that were still running. The Tuskens obviously intended to destroy the city. The few remaining people in the city fired their weapons, and then fled. They didn't get far as the Tuskens opened fire and killed them. Syron, Vella, Softy and Teecee, whose lasers were in his fingers, were in a shop entrance, firing at the horde. The Jedi were in the throng, their sabers cutting Tuskens up as they tried to get past them. Shaak Ti cursed. The Imps were nearly here. They needed to get away from here. So, take out the leaders and the rest fall. She sprang at the three leaders, who were pointing towards an armoury and yelling at their troops. She grinned. Bye bye. She sprang at once, her saber ready to strike. Then, two of them turned around and blocked her attack. Both did so with lightsabers. One had two green blades and one had a blue blade.

"A'sharad?" Shaak Ti demanded.

That was the only person it could be. The Tusken Jedi, trained by his father Sharad Hett, the Dark Woman and Ki Adi Mundi.

The Tusken nodded.

"Well call off your men!" she shouted at him.

He did so, and the men stopped.

"Stop!" she yelled.

A'sharad pulled off his helmet.

"Master Ti! It's good to see you!"

He was human, with a long ponytail of hair and odd tattoos across his face. The other Tuskens pulled off their helmets too. Next was a young, dirty man, with a dumb look on his face. And the other was the Dark Woman, an older woman with white hair.

"I know we haven't seen each other for quite a while, but we have no time! Get your troops onto my ship if they can be civilised and not wreck the joint, and let's get out of here!"

"My place is here Master Ti." A'sharad said.

She looked up into the sky and saw them.

"Take cover!"

The Tuskens and Jedi all leapt to the floor as the V-wings sped overhead, unleashing a payload of bombs. Tuskens were blown sky high, and banthas were cremated in flame. Tuskens howled in sorrow.

"What's going on?" Dark Woman asked.

"The Empire. Let's move."

"Master!" Serra yelled.

It was too late. The landers had settled down and were disgorging troops.

"We're dead." The stupid looking man said.

A'sharad was howling out orders, and the Tuskens attacked. Stormtroopers and tanks were upended and killed as the brutes attacked recklessly. He motioned to a group, gave them strict sounding orders, and turned to Shaak Ti.

"Get us out of here."

She realised what he'd done.

"A'sharad…"

"They're dying to get us out. Let's not waste their sacrifice. Come!" Dark Woman urged.

"Let's go!" she shouted.

The stormies opened fire, trying to kill the Jedi as they ran past. Then, two AT-STs appeared from around the corner. Whie sprang upward, and brought his blade slashing through the legs of one walker. It toppled to the ground with a metallic roar. Bultar dashed at the next walker in line and cut its legs out from under it.

"Move!" Shaak Ti yelled.

Quin and Khaleen were pinned down by a bunch of clones. The _Inferno _couldn't even come to the rescue as that had been given to the Wookiees on a temporary basis too. Vilmarh was swearing as he fired. They were going to die. Then Tholme and Tra appeared, blades singing as they sliced through the BARC speeders and clones. The others ran around the corner, pursued by a large force of clones. A'sharad had brought two hundred and fifty Tuskens with him.

"We cant hold here!" Syron yelled as more clones arrived and poured fire along the alleyway.

"If those Tuskens rip apart the ship there'll be hell to pay!" Vella snapped.

Clones had appeared at all ends, so the Jedi split up so they could defend both flanks as they made their way to the last occupied hangar. They couldn't keep this up for much longer. They were trapped in a Mos Osnoe side street, clones on all sides, Tuskens being slaughtered a block away, a storm of laser fire coming from each end and trying to reach the ship. They at last got there, and Syron led the Tuskens and the others into the ship, while the Jedi took up their positions at the boarding ramp. Then the clones rushed in, blasters firing. The large metal doors behind them were blown open as two TX130T tanks shot in and started firing missiles at the blade.

"Quin! We need to deal with those tanks!" Shaak Ti yelled.

"Allow me." K'kruhk said.

With a great leap, he jumped over the ship and landed on top of the first tank. Meanwhile, the others kept deflecting the fire back at the clones at they came in. Fire was beginning to spread around the town. They heard a cry and it seemed as though the Tuskens had been wiped out. K'kruhk cut the turret off the tank and winced as three more came into the hangar. They couldn't keep this up for much longer. Then another bunch of clones came behind those tanks and started firing.

"Help!" he squeaked.

Luminara saw the trouble her comrade was in.

"Jeisel, Tra, Quin, help K'kruhk!"

There was a high pitched whine. She looked up to see several troopers use rockets to get up onto the large arena that was the hangar. They positioned E-Web blasters on the roof.

"Oh no."

"Luminara, take them!" Shaak Ti yelled.

Shaak Ti watched as Luminara sprang to the top of the hangar, and turned back to her own troubles.

"Why do I bother?" she demanded angrily.

Dozens of troops had now entered, carrying rocket launchers. They raised them. A few hits with them and the ship would never leave this planet.

"Take them!"

Whie, Scout, Zett and Senna sprang at them and sliced into them, but the first few were off. Serra and the Dark Woman worked together to deflect the rockets with the Force. More and more troops were entering.

"We're in trouble."

Luminara cut down another E-Web operator. She then looked down at the carnage. The Tuskens were all dead, lying in smoky pieces. The tanks and walkers were on the move, heading towards the hangar. But it wasn't that that bothered her. It was the SPHATs. They were nearly in range. If they fired over the hangar, their turbolasers would destroy the _Silver Blade_.

"We have to get out of here."

Luminara shouted down the news. K'kruhk and the others were losing ground. Though two tanks were wrecked, the others were still attacking. Speeders shot into the hangar, firing at the ship and at the Jedi.

"We're going to get ourselves killed!" A'sharad yelled.

"We're doomed!" Dyren snapped.

"Syron! What's taking so long!?" Tholme demanded.

"We're going as fast as we can!"

There was a loud roar. Shaak Ti looked up to see the landers rise into the air and point their lasers at the ship.

"Oh dear."

Then the V-wings sped across the sky, bombs firing. Tra created a shield with the Force that barely saved the ship from destruction. It was too close for comfort. Outside, the buildings were smoking. The ships were coming round to launch another run. Mos Osnoe was burning.

"We're up and running!" Vella yelled.

"At last!"

"Let's get out of here! K'kruhk, stop having so much fun and get aboard!" Dark Woman yelled.

Quasal blocked another shot as the Jedi began to enter the ship. He and Shaak Ti were the last two out there.

"Go!" she ordered.

He leapt inside and she followed, and he closed the door behind her. With a jolt, the ship got off the ground. Laser blasts were hitting the shields, and the shuttles and fighters were attacking as the tanks opened fire too.

"We cant hold together under all of this!" Teecee yelled.

Whie shook his head as if trying to clear it.

"What's wrong?" Jeisel asked.

"I have a buzzing in my head."

"Whoa!" Syron yelled.

"I hate it when he does that." Jeisel snarled.

They ran in to see a storm of lasers and missiles fire at the ship. Outside the V-wings were keeping up their bombings, and now massive green turbolaser blasts were blasting apart the city.

"He's destroying the place!" A'sharad said in wonder.

"Noticed have we?" Vella asked scathingly.

She kicked the ship, and with a great lurch, the engines flared into life and shot out of the hangar. Fire was following them, but now nothing could be done about it. The _Blade _lanced into the air, as the Imperial forces below continued firing at them in impotent fury. The green turbolaser shots were raining down on the town, blasting it apart. The shuttles and V-wings were firing at the town too, but at the same time heading spaceward. The green bolts from the Star Destroyers utterly destroying Mos Osnoe, leaving the town a burning ruin.

"He's destroying his own forces!" Quasal said in amazement.

"Deal with that later!" Shaak Ti barked as she prepared the navicomputer

"How soon can we make the jump to lightspeed?" Tsui asked.

"We cant! The Interdictors are stopping us!" Syron shouted.

"Bugger!" Shaak Ti yelled.

Vella swore as a jet of sparks fired from her console. The ship was being hit by the fighters, and had already sustained a lot of damage from the ground forces.

"What's our closest ship?" Shaak Ti asked.

"The entire fleets six hours away!" Syron snapped.

"What do I pay you people for?" Shaak Ti demanded.

"You haven't paid me for this trip yet!"

"Fine! I'll pay you extra to help repair the ship if you get us out of this alive!"

The entire bridge devolved into a shouting match, people blaming each other for the situation, cursing mad Jedi mysics, cursing arrogan stuck up Corellian smugglers and who knows what else. Dark Woman, A'sharad and the stupid looking one looked mystified. Whie had had enough.

"SHUT UP!"

The bridge went silent as they all looked at him.

"Everyone stop shouting! You aren't helping! We're nearly out of the atmosphere. Then we'll have to deal with this Snake guy. Masters K'kruhk, Serra, Jeisel and Dyren, go and take the turrets!"

They did as instructed.

"Master Hett, Dark Woman and pratty looking guy, go tend to the Tuskens!"

They did as told.

"Scout, Softy, Teecee, Zett, Senna, keep an eye on the engines!"

They nodded feebly.

"Master Vos, Khaleen, Master Tholme, Master Saa and Vilmarh, go and stop Korto crying, its driving me nuts!"

They nodded in agreement.

"Master Luminara, keep an eye on the sensors!"

"Syron, Vella, fly the bloody ship and don't get us killed!

"Master Ti and Master Choi, come with me, I have a plan that might let us escape."

Appropriately cowed, they all went about their work.

"What are we going to do?" Tsui asked meekly.

"Fill a couple of escape pods with explosives. Then we can fire them at the ships."

"A fine idea young one." Shaak Ti said.

They did as Whie instructed, and went back to the bridge. The canopy of the bridge was green with laser fire.

"What do we have?" Shaak Ti asked.

"Six ISDs, two Interdictors, three Dreadnaughts, two Carrack cruisers and two Escort Carriers." Vella reported as she danced around the jet of sparks from her board.

"That's a lot of firepower." Tsui said in wonder.

"All for us too." Syron moaned as he sped towards one of the Star Destroyers.

"what are you doing!?" Vella demanded.

"If we go close to it, they cant fire on us without hitting their own." He explained.

"The fighters can!" Jeisel yelled.

And it seemed as if all fifty one fighter squadrons were chasing after them, aided by the assault shuttles and landers from the planet. Syron took them along the edge of the _Cobra_, relying on the gunners to hold off the fighters. However, the capital ships didn't cease fire as he had hoped. They kept shooting.

"We need to get out of here." Shaak Ti moaned.

"Not with the _Constrictor _and the _Coiled _using their gravity field generators. We're stuck until Snake picks us off." Vella reported.

Green fire flashed through space as Snake's forces tried to destroy the _Silver Blade_. Then the comm beeped.

"That'll be for you." Syron said to Shaak Ti.

Admiral Snake materialised before them on the viewscreen.

"Master Ti." He said callously.

"You!" she barked.

"Please to see me?" he asked smoothly.

"Am I hell. You should have been pulled up on war crimes for what you did on Ord Ibanna!"

Snake smiled.

"but I wasn't, and here I am, and you are at my mercy. Surrender. I'd rather give your head to Lord Vader without it being blackened by flames."

Then a massive blast rocked the ship.

"Whoops. You're on fire Shaak Ti."

She swore and silenced him. What was going on?

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A turbolaser blast ripped open the engine room, destroying two of the eleven engines. The air was sucked out of the room, the people inside screaming. Softy screamed in fear as the air was sucking the group outside of the ship. Zett swore. Scout, Senna, Teecee and Softy would all die if he didn't do something quickly. Acting quickly, he stretched out with the Force. Grasping the twisted bits of metal with the Force, he flattened them to make a sort of makeshift net. The room was still losing oxygen, and the gaps were quite large. He used the Force to open the door and then steadily lifted the others into the corridor. Spots were appearing in front of Zett's eyes as the air continued to rush out of the ship. The turbolaser blast had wrecked two of the engines and had damaged a third. Air continued to whistle out as he struggled to lift Softy into the corridor. Then, with one last burst of effort, he got Senna out and let the vacuum take him. Then a strong Force hand lifted him back in. He smiled at Bultar and conked out. His last thought was that his friends were safe.

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"What happened?" Shaak Ti demanded.

Bultar's voice cut in.

"They blasted apart the engine room. We lost three engines, but the others are all fine, they just lost a bit of air. We're treating them now. But with the damage, I don't know if we'll make lightspeed."

More blasts shook the back of the ship.

"Now what?"

"A lot of fighters. They're all coming after us!" Jeisel yelled.

Shaak Ti saw. Masses of fighters were swarming at them. Turbolaser blasts filled the space around them. They had done it this time. They couldn't escape an entire Imperial fleet, especially one belonging to Admiral Commodore Snake.

"Time to put your plan into effect Whie."

Turbolasers flashed around them as Syron weaved the ship in and out. They then sped towards the _Constrictor_. Snake's voice cut in.

"What are you doing Master Ti? You cant defeat an Interdictor, not with my entire fleet chasing you. Surrender."

She ignored the evil Admiral.

"Are nearly there Vella?"

There was a blast and the reply was cut off.

"Vella!" Shaak Ti shouted in concern. Whie checked his comm.

"Communications are out."

"Balls."

She looked out of the viewport.

"We're there. Now!"

The two escape pods flashed out from the ship and hit the _Constrictor _right on the gravity well. There was a massive plume of smoke, and Shaak Ti saw the readouts clear.

"We can jump!"

So why weren't they?

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Snake looked at the wounded Interdictor and the dying Corvette. Smoke was flying from its main turret, its engines and from its bridge. Snake smiled. Shaak Ti's threat was at an end.

"Fire!"

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The green fire continued as Shaak Ti entered the bridge. Vella was alive, and awake, but Syron was unconscious, bleeding from the head.

"Master Ti! I cant move my hand! Get us to lightspeed!"

Shaak Ti reached out for the lever when a massive turbolaser blast hit the back of the ship. Flame surrounded them, and they knew no more.

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Snake watched as the massive explosion ripped apart a few squadrons of fighters, sending them crashing into the sides of other ships. When the flames cleared, all that was left was debris and smoke.

"Excellent."

Shaak Ti was gone, her threat extinguished.

"Goodbye Master Ti."

Giving one last gleeful look at the wreckage that had been her ship, he left the bridge.

Shaak Ti was gone. Now the Empire had no opposition. The Empire was victorious.

**So, that's it. She's gone. Snake was an evil bad guy, like I said. and he's just destroyed Shaak Ti. Loads of Jedi dead in a matter of minutes. Will update once i've finished Order 66 and done my next Harry Potter story. Bye for now! Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: i do not own Star Wars**

13

Admiral Snake looked out at the wreckage.

"Get me a link to Lord Vader."

"Yes sir!"

Vader's dark visage appeared before him seconds later.

"Yes Admiral?"

"Shaak Ti has been destroyed by lord. She will trouble the Empire no further."

"Excellent work Admiral. You are to be commended. You have done well. Keep me informed."

"Yes Lord Vader."

Vader shimmered out. Snake turned to look at the burning wreckage that was once the _Silver Blade_. The last of the Jedi were gone. The Empire was victorious.

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Orvax IV was the slave market of the galaxy. And it was here that a soot blackened, heavily damaged Corellian Corvette was landing. The name on the side of the ship was _Silver Blade_.

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Smoke was emerging from every crevice on the ship.

"That's it! I'm never transporting Jedi again! Never!" Syron yelled.

"Oh shut up!" Shaak Ti yelled.

Unlike Snake thought, the crew of the ship were all alive, just severely beat up.

"Entire ship's shot to hell! We'll never get it off the ground!" K'kruhk yelled in fury.

"And we're attracting funny stares!" Tra Saa shouted.

"Then stop yelling!" Jeisel barked.

Another fire broke out, igniting Softy's back end. He started howling, and knocked Rox down the stairs, the little droid beeping curses at him as he did so. However, the Dark Woman had had enough.

"SILENCE!"

They all stopped yelling, except Rox who was still whistling indignantly.

"Right. We need to try, through some miracle, get this ship going again. We cant keep an army of Tusken Raiders in the hold. We also need to get everyone seen to, replace the hyperdrive and escape before the Empire figure out we're still alive."

They all nodded.

"Then get to it!"

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However, what the Jedi who had barely survived the skirmish at Tatooine didn't know was that another Jedi, a man by the name of Dass Jennir, was on the planet, helping his comrade Bomo Greenbark get his daughter back from slavers. He, and the crew of the freighter _Uhumele _were here for just one purpose: get Resa. And they would, even if it killed them.

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The _Exactor, _the personal flagship of Darth Vader, sprang out of lightspeed at the Orvax system. Darth Vader, lord of the triumphant Sith, their last true obstacle, Jedi Council member Shaak Ti, was dead. However, Vader had a slight cloud over him as he looked down at the slave market of the galaxy.

"Slavery." He hissed.

"Lord Vader, what do you mean?"

Vader had warned that he was not to be interrupted. The captain was gagging, then dead, at his feet a second later. The new captain stepped up.

"Should, should I prepare your shuttle Lord Vader?"

Vader nodded.

"Yes, you should."

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Syron popped his sooty face out of the service hatch.

"I give up! I'm not taking you lot anywhere again!"

"Oh stop whinging!" Jeisel barked.

"Actually, if it weren't for Master Ti, we wouldn't be alive." Teecee pointed out.

"It's her fault we got shot at in the first place!"

They had been on Orvax for quite some time, and had now stayed here too long. Shaak Ti, after getting them out of Tatooine in one piece, had set a course for the nearest in habited system, and had got Orvax. On the way she had revived most of the others, (the Tuskens were all surprisingly alive), and had tried to nurse the others back to health, along with performing minor repairs. When they landed on Orvax, they had set to work, getting the ship fixed up for the next trip. They were all thankful to be alive.

"Could you stop moaning long enough to tell me how long it will take to get out of here?" Shaak Ti asked.

"What's the rush?" Vella asked, fixing a panel.

"The personal Star Destroyer of Darth Vader appearing in orbit."

A'sharad, who was drinking some blue milk, gagged.

"What's he doing here?"

Shaak Ti shrugged.

"Hell if I know. But I don't think he knows we're alive. He's here for something else."

"Such as?" Tra asked, as she rocked Korto to sleep.

"Slavery." Dark Woman said quietly.

"Perhaps. Skywalker was a slave." K'kruhk added.

"Maybe so. However, I would like to off this dungball before the Imps arrive. Can we do it?"

Syron grinned roguishly.

"You got it."

"Thank dear boy. Right,"

She suddenly broke off.

"Master Ti?" Teecee asked.

"You felt it?" Tholme asked.

"Yes. There's a Jedi here."

"You going for him?" Vella asked.

"I don't think we have much choice. K'kruhk, Jeisel, with me. The rest of you, get this ship ready to fly again, and await my signal."

The three Jedi headed for the door.

"What can I do Master Ti?"

It was the apprentice A'sharad and Dark Woman had brought with them. And he wasn't clever enough to add two plus two. Shaak Ti grinned.

"You can do this dear." She handed him a brush.

"Get sweeping." Jeisel said sweetly.

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Idiot."

"Why cant we find someone more intelligent?" Jeisel asked.

"At least Quasal is intelligent." K'kruhk said.

"Thank you!" Quasal yelled as he fixed the laser batteries.

Then a laser blast fired out of the turret he was fixing, igniting the supplies of detergent in the corner.

"Oops."

"I take it back." K'kruhk said to Shaak Ti's look, and they left the spaceport.

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Dass Jennir and the crew of the _Uhumele _looked at the massive slave market place. They had been here two weeks already. And now they were ready to make their move. And not a moment to soon. Dass felt a massive dark presence arrive with the Star Destroyer, and he was eager to be gone before he found what it was. He looked at Bomo.

"There's a lot of slaves to free." His companion said.

"True. Wookiees, Rodians, Mon Cals, Nosaurians, all sorts of species." Ko Vakier, their Blood Carver friend said.

"Well, let's get on with it." Jank said.

"Signal Crys and Schuruk-Heren and tell them we're on the move."

Bomo looked at the masses of slaves and the stormtroopers guarding them.

"Hold on Resa I'm coming."

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Vader set down on the filthy, slave filled planet in a shuttle, backed up by two gunships and two landers. They set down beside a row of Lambada shuttles, and were met by the regional governor.

"Good morning Lord Vader. Welcome to Orvax IV. What can I do for you?" he asked.

Vader surveyed the surroundings in intense distaste. Slavery. If the new Empire truly was what Palpatine claimed it was, this sort of thing would be abolished.

"I would have a tour governor."

"Certainly Lord Vader. May I say you seem rather cheerful?"

Vader nodded curtly.

"Recently, a great enemy was destroyed by Admiral Snake. I'm rather cheerful."

"Very well Lord Vader. Come, and I'll show you around."

Vader followed the governor. There was a faint presence in the Force, and seeds of rebellion. He would have to be on his guard.

"Lead on governor."

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Shaak Ti looked around the corner and saw the Jedi.

"Master Dass Jennir. He's freeing the slaves." Shaak Ti said.

"Good for him." K'kruhk said cheerfully.

"Not if he gets shot it isn't." Jeisel added.

"Comm Syron. Ask him to get here. I think we may be needed."

"Well let's go." Jeisel said eagerly.

"No. I think she has a better idea." K'kruhk said mysteriously.

He pointed to the shadow of the Star Destroyer in orbit.

"Oh. I get it."

"Prepare for the first act my dear." Shaak Ti said with a grin.

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"Go." Dass ordered.

The pirates leapt out of hiding and opened fire on the slavers, dropping many in the first barrage. The stormtrooper sand the T'surr rushed at them, and the fight was on, the slaves yelling words of encouragement as Dass sliced down the main charge and his pirates flattened the oncoming horde. Blasterfire began to ring out in the square as the pirates fought to liberate the slaves.

"Comm Crys and tell her to get a move on!"

Mezgraf nodded, and hid behind some crates as the rest kept up their steady fire, slowly thinning the slaver and stormtrooper ranks. A second later it was over. The enemy, caught by surprise, had fallen.

"Right, get these cages open. And then we can get out of here." Dass said.

Bomo nodded enthusiastically.

"Daddy!" Resa yelled from her cage.

"Will you take us off of this planet?" a Rodian asked.

"Yes. Come."

The pirates began to open the cages. Dass was worried. The darkness was coming. He had done some questionable things. Perhaps it was his darkness? But, at the edge of his perceptions, there was a flicker of hope.

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A stormtrooper ran up to the governor.

"Sir!"

"What is it soldier?" Vader demanded.

Being the Supreme Commander, the troop didn't hesitate to tell.

"There's a riot going on sir. Freedom fighters are freeing the slaves."

Vader laughed inside. _Good._ However he had to put on a face of anger.

"Very well. Governor, summon your forces. Trooper, lead on."

And beckoning to his troopers and igniting his saber, Vader ran.

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"The slaves are all free Master Jennir!" Ratty squeaked.

"Excellent. Then let's go."

They all headed for the alleyway, when it suddenly filled with stormtroopers.

"Damn!" Dass exclaimed.

Resa got closer to her father.

"The man in black, with the lightsword, he's called Darth Vader. I've heard the slavers talk about him."

Dass whimpered.

"Oh great. A Sith."

Vader came towards him.

"Jedi, you've caused quite a stir. However, your road ends here."

Dass looked Vader in the eyes.

"You will not pass me Sith."

Vader grinned. Jedi fool.

"We shall see. Kill them all!"

The stormtroopers opened fire, and the pirates and the slaves who could work blasters opened fire in return. Vader slashed at Dass, aiming to take off his head. Jennir blocked the move, coming under it with one swift turn and following up with a swift kick in the mouth. Vader staggered backward, and Vader unleashed his full fury.

His saber was a whirlwind of deadly scarlet energy as he battered the Jedi's defences. The long haired man was hard pressed to stop the Sith Lord's fury. He swerved out of the way, but Vader anticipated the move, his boot coming up and hitting the man in the chest. Dass back flipped and attacked with his saber. He tried to cleave off Vader's head, but the Dark Lord was far too wise for that. He blasted Jennir with a force push, knocking Dass back. He then knocked Jennir's saber away with a brutal strike. He pointed his blade.

"A diverting entertainment."

Vader was coming closer. Suddenly Resa leapt on the Sith Lord, sinking her teeth into his arms. Vader roared in fury and blasted her off with the Force, as the other pirates opened fire. Vader laughed and leapt at Jennir, who had regained his blade. The force of the blow sent Jennir to the floor, and Vader had him where he wanted him.

"Goodbye Jedi!" Vader snarled in hatred.

He raised his blade, ready to destroy the Jedi.

"NO!" the other pirates, especially Bomo and Resa shouted.

Then a blue lightsaber blocked the strike.

"What?" Vader demanded.

He looked at the blade, and it shot away from Vader's blade and back into the hand of its owner who was flanked by two more Jedi.

"NO!"

"I'm back!" Shaak Ti sang.

"That's not possible!"

"Really? Miss me?"

She then sprang at Vader with K'kruhk and Jeisel at her flanks. Their blades started to cut into the stormtroopers, as the pirates and freed slaves opened fire. Wookiees and Nosaurians rushed forwards, heading for the shuttles they had seen. Shaak Ti attacked Vader head on. It was a direct opposite of their last fight. This time Shaak Ti was fully rested, and Jedi weren't dying around her. The clones were dying everywhere, however, reinforcements had arrived.

"We're in trouble!" Jeisel yelled.

Then the _Silver Blade _shot into the air above them.

"More Jedi!" Ratty yelled as Jedi sprang out of the ship and sliced into the clones.

"Don't knock it!" Dass shouted happily.

Vader was being forced back by Shaak Ti. She knew she was going to win. Vader just wasn't acclimatised to his new body yet. She kicked him in the control panel and then sliced off his saber arm in one swift move. He dropped to his knees, and she smiled.

"It's over." She gloated.

"Indeed!"

Pressing a button on his belt, the _Exactor _fired a turbolaser shot. It shot towards them, but Whie saw what was happening. Ignoring the battle going on around him, he stretched his arm up and used the Force to defuse the shot. He then collapsed.

"Amazing." Shaak Ti whispered, her blade still at Vader's neck.

Scout rushed to Whie's side. She looked at Shaak Ti.

"Master Ti!"

Vader was using the force to throw the blade towards her. She swore, and kicked him in the head, sending the blade off target as he lost control. He then blasted her with a force push and ran for it.

"Bugger!" she cursed.

The Jedi were flattening the clones, and the shuttles were landing. Slaves rushed into them, and as soon as they were full they took off. The immediate danger over, Tholme and Tra Saa were levitating Wookiees and Nosaurians onto the Corvette. Suddenly, a lumpy freighter appeared.

"About time!" Dass yelled.

"We'll see you in orbit Master Ti!"

"Very well!"

The slaves were loaded, and everyone was safe. It was time to leave this rock. There was then the whine of the new TIE Fighters.

"Time to go!"

Shaak Ti leapt up to the ship, and the Corvette, the freighter and the shuttles shot spacewards.

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The _Exactor _had deployed all its fighters as they arrived in space.

"Master Jennir, are you ready for the jump to lightspeed? I'd prefer my dear pilot did not have to moan about the state his poor ship is in again."

"Ready Master Ti."

"Good lad. All craft, prepare for the jump to lightspeed." Vella ordered, smiling.

Yet again, they had done it, stealing slaves from right under the Empire's nose.

"Who is in the shuttles?" Shaak Ti asked, slightly apprehensive of the fighters getting closer and starting to take pot-shots.

"Guess." Syron said with an evil grin.

Shaak Ti frowned at him and opened the comm..

"Who is this?"

A roar answered her.

"Wookiees!" she cried in dismay.

The entire ship burst into laughter as they all shot away from Orvax.

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Vader established the link.

"What is it Vader?" the Emperor asked, not looking up from his crossword.

"I'll give you two guesses." Vader said in fury.

Palpatine looked up and saw the missing arm. His face clouded with fury.

"Well? Did you get it?"

Then they both roared in unison.

"SHAAK TI!"

**Well, i'm back and so is Shaak Ti. So, who actually thought I had bumped her off? Sorry its been so long, but we needed to do a full system restore on the computer, so I havent been writing much, and before that I was doing my Harry Potter stoires. But, I'm back, and we'll go all the way up to chapter 20 I think before going back to Harry. So, Shaak Ti's back, has yet more Wookiees and the bad guys are furious. Oh, it's good to be back. I'm really looking forward to the Shaak Ti webstrip, so I hope this will keep you occupied until it comes along. I'm back! Right, please read and review, and I'll update soon!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

14

The new additions to the fleet worked quite well, despite the added Wookiees. The Wookiee slave leader, Tarrful, who Quinlan and Luminara recognised from Kashyyyk led the Wookiees with Gumbaeki, and were able to keep them all happy. The Tuskens were safely on a dungeon ship and kept to themselves. They had rejoined the fleet, which was now some thirty one ships strong, even if most of that number were dungeon ships and freighters which would be of little use against the Empire's Star Destroyers. Master Dass Jennir and the crew of the _Uhumele _had joined the fleet under Shaak Ti's command, brining with them the Nosaurian slaves, led by Bomo. Shaak Ti was quite pleased with their progress. They had gathered a fir few folk to the cause, and a fair few Jedi. Far more than she had hoped for. And she had loyal followers, despite how much he moaned about the way the ship got shot up every time she was on it.

She was on board the _Liberty _and heading for a drink and a quiet read when Meena Tills came up to her.

"Master Ti. I have requested a gathering of all the people important to the Resistance. I think it's time we found out a few things."

Shaak Ti nodded.

"Excellent idea Senator. Lead on."

He led her to the conference room, which was a humid room near the bridge. Present were Shaak Ti and Meena Tills, Whie and Scout, Serra and Dyren, Quinlan and Khaleen, Tholme, Tra and Villie, Syron and the crew of the _Silver Blade_, Tsui, Bultar, K'kruhk, Jeisel, Captain Ackdara, Luminara, A'sharad and the Dark Woman and along with them Gumbaeki, Dass Jennir and Bomo Greenbark.

"Thank you all for coming. As you know, you were called here so you can see what we're up against. Rox?"

The little purple droid generated a hologram over the table.

"This is our main enemy, Emperor Palpatine, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious. He commands the Empire and brought about the fall of the Republic and the Jedi by treachery and deceit. He killed three of the greatest Jedi combatants we had by himself, Masters Saesee Tiin, Agen Kolar and Kit Fisto, and helped kill Mace Windu. He also defeated Master Yoda, issued Order 66 and has taken command of the galaxy. He is the biggest threat to our existence.

Then, there's Darth Vader, the Supreme Commander of the Empire's forces. He is the second Dark Lord of the Sith and was once Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Anakin betrayed us through some misguided sense of loyalty to the Emperor. Many Jedi fell to his blade, including Council member Master Coleman Kcaj and there's no question that his betrayal helped the death of Master Mace Windu. He became what he is now after a vicious duel with Master Obi Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, which led to Skywalker losing his remaining limbs and being consumed by fire, thus explaining the need for the suit. He is totally evil and totally bent on the Emperor's will.

Then there is Commander Carhac. A more vicious clone never existed. He is brutal and loves to massacre people for the fun of it. He has been promoted beyond all other clones and is now in charge of one of the taskforces tailing us. He is very dangerous, and will not hesitate to kill Jedi.

And last but not least is Admiral Commodore Snake, who is willing to do anything if it will bring about his enemies fall. I will tell you all one day what he did on Ord Ibanna, however that is not the only atrocity he has committed.

We have the entire Empire after us, but I think its fair you know the situation that has been brought about. I will send a file to all of your datapads that will tell you whether or not the Jedi betrayed the Republic.

The task before is a tough one. We must defend the people of the galaxy and help those affected by the Empire. Slavery runs rife, as we have already seen. Atrocities, such as the attack on Kashyyyk and the destruction of Caamas are rampant and happen far too often. The Empire is challenging the basic principles on what this galaxy was founded and we must fight it until our dying breath."

There was a general murmur of assent of from the listeners to Shaak Ti's speech.

"I take it you also plan to find more Jedi?" Villie asked.

"Yes. And I also intend to create a military force with which to challenge the Empire. The problem is, we have low funds, few allies and few troops to man them. We cannot fight the Empire's Star Destroyers with ease. At the moment only three of our ships, the _Liberty, _the _Freedom _and the _Zaalbar _have any chance of taking on an ISD and living to tell the tale. Now, the more perceptive amongst you may have noticed our slight problem. Admiral Snake at least has six Star Destroyers of his own, along with support craft. Even Carhac has support craft. We cannot hope to fight any and win at the moment, especially without fighters. So, we are in the stickiest situation since sticky the stick insect sat on a sticky bun."

"But?" Syron asked cockily.

"I am not going to let that stop us. We will fight the Empire! We will fight them until our last breath! We will not let them destroy the galaxy's principles! We will fight them to the bitter end, and if it is to be our end I will make it such an end as to be worthy of remembrance! We will fight the Empire and we will crush them into the ground if we must!"

She stood there, facing her audience and breathing heavily. Then Gumbaeki got to his feet and roared in approval, clapping his hands as he did so. Outside the door, the other Wookiees let loose a massive roar of approval.

"I'm convinced!" A'sharad declared getting to his feet and clapping too.

Bomo was whistling and the comm. Suddenly jerked to life with cries of enthusiasm. Shaak Ti looked at Rox.

"You swine! You were broadcasting that!"

Rox twittered happily.

Over the comm came hundreds of whistles, claps and shouts of approval. The entire room was on its feet clapping and showing their support.

"Not a bad recruitment speech." Teecee said.

"Thank you."

An aide suddenly came in and went up to Shaak Ti. The rest of the room sat back down and watched as her face changed to one of clouded judgement.

"Thank you my dear."

The aide left, and Shaak Ti inserted a disc into Rox.

"We just received this on an open comm channel."

She pressed the button.

"This is Commander Asajj Ventress for the sovereign planet of Rattatak. We are under attack by the Empire, and we will not hold out much longer. Help is needed at once. This is a plea for reinforcements. Please come to our aid."

The message ended.

"If we are serious about stopping the Empire, we must prevent their intention sin any way we can. We must also have a different form of decision making. So, I put the question to you: do we stay or go?"

Silence met these words.

"Surely you cant be serious." Whie growled.

"I am. And don't call me Shirley." Shaak Ti said.

"Master Ti, that vile woman tried her hardest to kill us. She's killed nearly as many Jedi as General Grievous. She's evil, and cant be trusted, and you want to go and help her?" Scout demanded.

"In such times we must unite with those we'd rather avoid." Shaak Ti said delicately.

She saw that she would face a lot of opposition from the people in this room to saving Ventress, no matter how much they needed her help.

"She is a great warrior, and commands a large force. She could be of help." K'kruhk said.

"Are you insane? She tried to kill us!" Jeisel exclaimed.

An argument was brewing, and Shaak Ti knew she needed this dealt with is she was to win Ventress' support.

"Enough!"

They all fell silent and looked at her.

"I know some of you don't want to rescue her, and I more than understand your reasons. However, we need allies and we need a place to start. She will serve just as well as anyone. But we must move quickly. We are a democracy. So, I want each of you to tell me if we should save her. I will go with the majority."

She began with her right hand side, and looked at Softy.

"Softy?"

I do not know much about her, but I have heard of her exploits. Though I do not wish to subject us to her, I recognise the need for allies. Yes.

"Vella?"

"May as well start somewhere right? Yes."

"Syron?"

"We need allies, and she will have forces we can use. Yes."

Shaak Ti sighed. Three yeses. She turned to Quin.

"Quin? You know her best because of your undercover work."

"I know she's a great fighter, but I wont have her anywhere near my son. No."

"Khaleen?"

"She's lethal, evil and twisted. I don't want my son exposed to her. No."

"Tholme?"

"She is a dangerous threat to us all, and cannot be controlled. No."

Three all.

"Tra?"

"No."

"Meena?"

"She is a butcher and a slaver, and I will not lower myself to work with her. No."

"Ackdara?"  
Ackdara was the female Mon Cal who commanded one of the frigates and was one of the best commanders they had.

"I must respectfully disagree Senator. She is a dangerous threat, and we must get her before the Empire does and turns her into another goon. Yes."

"Gumbaeki?"

She is not of normal stock. She is violent, a queen of blood and death. I will not help her in any way. No.

Shaak Ti frowned. Six-four.

"Bomo?"

"I just got my daughter back from slavers. I wont have her near another one. No."

"Luminara?"

"She is a good fighter, and we need good fighters. Yes."

"Serra?"

"Yes."

"Dyren?"

"Yes."

Seven all.

"Tsui?"

"I have seen her fight. I think we need her. Yes."

Eight-seven.

"A'sharad?"

"Absolutely not. She is evil, and we have enough evil to be getting on with. No."

"Dark Woman?"

"She will betray us the first chance she gets. No."

Nine-eight.

"Dass?"

"We need more Force users if we are to have any chance of stopping Vader and his Emperor. Yes."

Nine all.

"Bultar?"

"Abstain."

"You aren't helping. Villie?"

"Nasty Jedis not good business. Neither nasty Siths. Better nasty Jedis than nasty Siths. Yes."

"Jeisel?"

"No."

Ten all.

"Whie?"

"She tried to murder me and Scout. No."

"And I'm no too." Scout said.

Twelve-ten. It all depended on K'kruhk's and Teecee's vote.

"Teecee?"

"Don't have a clue. Yes."

Twelve-eleven.

"K'kruhk?"

"She tried to kill me, true. But I bear her no ill will. Master Kenobi thought she could still be saved. I trust him. Yes."

Shaak Ti swore. Twelve all, and she now had the deciding vote.

"So, I have the deciding vote. And what I say goes, correct? No arguments."

They all nodded.

"Very well. Yes."

They would save Asajj Ventress.

"You're making a mistake. That's all I'll say." Whie said in a betrayed voice.

Shaak Ti shot him a hurt look, but he turned to talk to Scout, who looked furious.

"Senator, tell the fleet to set course for the Rattatak system. Prepare our men."

**So, we're going to save Ventress. Penish is back next chapter. So, that's that and neext chapter will be started tomorrow. Please read and review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own, which story is this, oh Star Wars**

15

Asajj Ventress, Commander of the army of Rattatak, Blood Queen and former Dark Acolyte of Count Dooku, looked out at her beaten army. They had been engaged for the eight months since the end of the Clone Wars, but were now finally losing ground. They had been fighting too long. Admiral Penish of the Star Destroyer _Vendetta _had brought his full fleet to bear on her planet had unleashed his full armada. Normally, the twenty three regiments that were in his fleet would not be able to take a planet without back up, however Ventress' army was beaten and reduced to a quarter of it's strength. The Empire controlled the planet, and their new Moff was already making matters difficult. Ventress sighed. She had now lost her home. She looked at her two commanders, Aidus who had served her for many years, and Alpha, the former Republic ARC Trooper, who, on hearing of the clone army's betrayal and Order 66 had decided to stay with her and fight with her until the end.

"They're on the move again mam." Aidus reported.

Ventress sighed. Another battle that would only get her men killed.

"How much?"

"The entire force mam. They're coming to finish us."

She sighed.

"Well, it looks like we aren't going to be reinforced. Tell the men to prepare for the final battle. And start loading the landers. If there's anyone left, I want them off this planet."

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The fleet was ready. They knew they would have to punch through an entire Imperial fleet to get relief forces to the planet and save Ventress, but that was going to be rather difficult without many fighter squadrons. Three squadrons weren't going to do much against the twenty eight that the Imperial admiral Penish commanded. And as his fleet outgunned their own, it would have to be a quick in and out action, or they would risk destruction. For the moment, Captain Hertera of the _Freedom _had been given command of the fleet.

"Everyone's ready Master Ti." he said over the comm.

"Excellent. Prepare for the jump to lightspeed."

"Yes Master Ti. All forces, prepare for the jump to lightspeed at once."

The entire fleet shot forward to rescue a sworn enemy. They were going to help a killer.

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"Duck!" Ventress yelled.

A massive barrage of missiles came flying from the Hailfire droid clunking up behind her remaining forces.

"Fall back! Fall back to the canyon!" Alpha yelled.

Ventress saw that they had no choice. After a TIE Bomber run had flattened their right flank, the enemy had been spilling in.

"Fall back! Get out of here!"

The canyon was their last hope. Two thousand civilians who had been evacuated from the cities were in that canyon, along with a tenth of Ventress' army. The remaining lot she had with her, about a fifth of her entire army, was losing ground fast. They were going to do their doom.

"Flee! And let's make this fight worthy of tale and song!" Ventress vowed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sha Koon glowered at Penish.

"The defenders on the planet are nearly beaten. Soon, this sector will be secure, thus ending yet another possible threat."

Sha Koon summoned her bravado.

"You tell me as if I give a damn. I don't care what you do to Ventress, as long as she makes it painful for you."

She knew she would pay for her cheek, but she did not care. All she sought was death, however Penish seemed quite content to leave her alive to torture her, even though he had given up on finding her Jedi allies who had escaped him when he had caught her long ago.

He punched her in the stomach. If only she had the Force, however a strange creature called a ysalamiri prevented her from attacking him back. And considering all the torture she had endured, she didn't know if she could stand it.

"You will learn respect Jedi."

He raised his hand to beat her again, then his comm beeped stopping him.

"Blast. What?" he barked into the comm.

"Admiral, an enemy fleet has just dropped out of lightspeed."

"I'm on my way."

"We will continue this discussion later." He said, then left, leaving her whimpering in pain.

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The fleet dropped out of lightspeed cannons blazing. The _Freedom, Liberty _and _Zaalbar _all squared up to face the _Vendetta_, the _Mission _and the _Obsession_, Penish's three ISDs. Their ion cannon fire brought down one of the two Dreadnaughts, the _Expedition_. However, their element of surprise was lost, and Penish had recovered. While the ISDs headed onwards to take on the heavy cruisers, the rest of his fleet lined up with Shaak Ti's fleet, the three Victory Star Destroyers leading the charge. Turbolaser shots began to flash back and forth between the cruisers as the various Carrack Cruisers, Mon Cal and Wookiee Frigates and Dungeon ships got into position and started firing at the approaching enemy fleet. Their meagre three fighter squadrons shot into the formation with the fearlessness associated with Wookiee pilots and crashed into the TIE Fighters, V-Wings and ARC 170s with much ferocity. While the capital ships engaged one another, only two pilots took notice of a Corellian Corvette that was speeding down to the planet. However, as they had Wookiee pilots on their tail, they had little choice but to let it go and worry about it at another time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ventress ducked as another AAT blew up.

"We cant hold out much longer!" Alpha yelled.

"I have noticed!"

Aidus fired another round off at the approaching group of stormtroopers and ducked down beside Ventress.

"We aren't getting reinforced."

"Really?" she asked sarcastically.

She looked around. Most of her artillery had retreated, leaving her only five tanks, and she was now down to three. Her army had mostly fled to the transports, leaving her only three hundred troopers.

"Aidus, Alpha, we cant win. And I need to know that someone will continue to fight the Empire after I'm gone."

"Commander!" Aidus barked.

"You know it's true. We won't survive this battle, and we aren't getting reinforced. We're doomed. I will stay with fifty Narecians. They will help me hold them off long enough for you lot to get to the ships and flee."

The Narecians were Ventress' personal bodyguards. They were the elite and they would stay with her until the end.

"Ventress." Alpha said.

"Please don't make this difficult. While we stay here arguing our people are dying and your time is running out. Go. I need to know the evacuation will not fail. Please go."

Alpha nodded reluctantly and pulled Aidus, who gave one last salute. She turned to her enemy.

"It's a good day to die!"

Her fifty Narecians stood behind her ready for their last stand. She brandished her two sabers and prepared for battle. The Imperial army, hundreds of stormtroopers, backed up by dozens of speeders and walkers clanked over the dry, rocky terrain and had the Narecians in their sights.

"Die well." Ventress said.

Then suddenly, the ATTE in the head of the formation blew up. This was followed by a hail of laser fire from above as a Corellian Corvette shot into the canyon and hovered above Ventress' troops.

"What?" she asked in amazement.

The hatch on the ship suddenly opened, letting several robed figures leap down from above and ignite lightsabers. At the head was one person Ventress hadn't expected to see again, a woman she had put a bounty on, Jedi Council member Shaak Ti.

"We're not about to let you die. Now move!" she ordered.

"Jedi!" Ventress said in amazement.

"You heard the lady! Move!" K'kruhk yelled.

"Alright alright!"

Ventress led her forces down the canyon, while the Jedi, fresh, rested and bad tempered sliced apart the attacking stormtroopers. However, their element of surprise was going, and they would need to leave soon.

Ventress rushed into the basin of the canyon and saw the last of her army rushing for the last transport. She nodded. Five minutes and they would be in the air.

Heads and blaster bolts were flying everywhere as the Jedi sliced apart their enemies.

"Master Ti!" her comm beeped.

"Tra! Answer the blower!"

"Right ho!"

She summoned it with the Force.

"Hello, Rattatak Fireworks Factory, no pictures please."

"What are you on about? Ventress is on her transports, and is saying she is giving launch codes now."

"Good. It's hot down here anyway. Cheery bye."

Syron, up on the _Silver Blade_, looked at the comm in confusion and shrugged at Softy who put up his hands in incomprehension.

"Time to go!" Tra yelled.

"Thank the Force for that! I don't want me bum burned off before I'm ready!"

With that the Jedi sprang up onto the ship's ramp and closed it, joining Ventress' army and heading for space.

The leader of the army looked up at the escaping ships.

"That wont look good on our records."

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The convoy sped up from the planet, Ventress sending out a message as they did so. It was a battleground in space, laser fire criss crossing all over the place as the two fleets clashed. Shaak Ti knew they had to hurry. If they wanted to get out with most of their ships intact, they would need to get a move on. Ventress had eight Federation landers in her convoy, along with several VACs and two squadrons of droid gunships.

"Ventress, are you ready for the jump to lightspeed?" Shaak Ti asked.

"No. We need to wait. Just make for your fleet."

Syron snorted as he saw what was approaching. Several fighter squadrons were flying right at them. Suddenly another Star Destroyer shot out of lightspeed. It was the _Brutality. _

"Carhac!" Shaak Ti snarled.

"What's he doing here?" Vella asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine sweetheart." Syron said as he operated the controls.

"This is Commander Carhac of the battleship _Brutality_. Another two fleets are on the way and will destroy you all if you do not surrender to me now."

"Who are you?" asked a nasal voice.

"It's coming from the _Vendetta_." Teecee reported.

"Penish." Tsui said as he entered the cockpit.

"Who?"

"The Admiral in charge of the original fleet. He has a Jedi aboard his ship."

Shaak Ti stretched out with her feelings and felt a few eddies, then blankness.

"Yep, he has a Jedi. But we cant go after the poor soul." Shaak Ti said sadly.

"I am Commander Carhac, and I have been charged by Darth Vader to track down and kill Shaak Ti." The argument was continuing.

"And I am an admiral of the fleet and I am ordering you to stand down."

The gun turrets of the ship finally opened up and let loose at the approaching fighters. Ventress suddenly cut into the conversation between the two Imperials.

"Actually, there are three fleets approaching."

Shaak Ti glared at the convoy. Was she betraying them?

Suddenly, a _Providence _class cruiser, backed up by two _Recusant _and two _Munificent _frigates leapt in system and delivered a deadly barrage to the fleet. The approaching fighters that K'kruhk, Jeisel, Serra and Dyren had missed were blown apart, and the _Vendetta _and the _Brutality _started to pour out flame as the five ships caught them totally off guard. Shaak Ti and the convoy reached the Jedi fleet, and the five new ships formed up.

"Ventress, now are you ready?"

"Lead on Jedi."

With that, the fleet turned away, and leaving the confused Battle of Rattatak behind them, they fled.

**Well, the Jedi have just rescued Asajj Ventress. what will happen next? All I'll tell you is that we meet a new bad guy and some new allies in the next chapter. right, so notes. Tra Saa's comment was meant to be like how Blackadder answers the phone in Blackadder goes forth. Admiral Penish is one of the big bad guys and we havent seen the last of him, or of Carhac. The other fleet that was coming was the new bad guy approaching. The ships in Ventress' convoy are normal Trade Federation landers like in episode 1, the VACs are the flying MTTs in the Clone Wars video game and the other ones, the droid gunships are the blue ships in Battlefront 2 and episode 3. The Providence is basically the same sort of ship as General Grievous' flagship in episode 3, the Munificents are the frigates in Battlefront 2 for the Confederacy and the Recusants are the long pointy ships in episode 3 as well. So, next chapter will be uploaded next week as I'm on holiday! hooray! Please read and review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

16

"Why did you do it?" Ventress asked.

They were in the conference room of the _Silver Blade_, Shaak Ti, Luminara and Tsui facing Ventress.

"In these dark times, we must be prepared to work with those we'd rather avoid. I take it you aren't sorry we rescued you?"

"Certainly not. I'm just having trouble understanding your reasons. I'm a known Jedi killer. I tried to kill the two young Padawans you have travelling with you. I placed a bounty on your head and that of other Jedi. Why save me?"

Shaak Ti frowned.

"We saved you as you are a natural ally against the Empire. As they have just forced you off your homeworld, you will be eager for revenge. We also want to get back at the Empire. And you are a brilliant fighter, and have a large force behind you, which we can use to great effect. It's all very well if you don't want to stay with us, but as long as you only attack the Empire and not us, we wont have to deal with you."

Ventress smiled.

"Very well. I want to hurt the Empire just as much as you do. So, what's the plan?"

"Not so fast." Tsui said, leaning forward.

Ventress politely cocked her eyebrow.

"Stay away from Whie and Scout. You've mixed them up enough. Stay away if it can be done. If they want to go near you, they will."

Ventress nodded.

"Fine Jedi. Deal."

They all looked at each other, when Ventress got to her feet.

"Thank you for coming for me. I didn't expect many to respond to the call, if any. I least of all expected Jedi."

"Well you got us, unfortunately for you." Shaak Ti said.

Ventress smiled.

"I suppose."

"So dear girl, I take it you are going to cancel all the bounties?"

"Yes. I could do it myself now anyway, but I promise I wont raise a blade against another Jedi except Skywalker."

"How did you know he survived?" Luminara asked.

"I would have felt. And I always knew that the Sith wanted him alive. Where is he? In hiding? I can attack him cant I?"

Tsui laughed.

"Of course you can my dear. When Dooku died, Anakin replaced him as the Emperor's new apprentice. He became Darth Vader."

Ventress hissed.

"Vader? That monstrosity that works for Palpatine? I take it you want to kill him too?"

"Oh yes." Shaak Ti said.

"Then you have my blades and my forces in this endeavour. I always wanted to stick my blades into him."

"And now so do we. He has a lot to answer for."

"Did you know he was married?" Ventress asked.

"Married?"

The surprise radiating off the Jedi told her they didn't.

"Yes, he was married to that Naboo Senator, Amidala. That's how I lost my eye. I threatened to kill her and he went berserk."

Shaak Ti leaned back in her seat. This was indeed interesting news, and certainly helped explain Senator Amidala's strange death a few months previously.

"Very interesting my dear. I thank you."

Ventress sat down.

"I know we aren't going to trust each other straight off, but we both have a common goal. You work with me, I'll work with you. But no lectures!"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Tsui said.

"Good."

"What forces do you command?" Luminara asked.

"The five cruisers I came with, along with the support craft, which gives me a sizeable army. Alpha, the clone you know from Kamino Master Ti, heads my main military, while Commander Aidus commands my elite troopers, the Narecians."

Something suddenly clicked in Tsui's mind.

"Ky Narec?"

Ventress took a breath, then turned to him.

"Yes."

"I fought with him on several missions. A damn fine Jedi in my opinion. So, he was the one who trained you."

"Yes. And then he was killed, and I became the leader of Rattatak."

Tsui nodded.

"Indeed. We will talk later my dear."

Ventress nodded.

"Do you command anything else? It seems strange that a Separatist commander had such a small fleet." Shaak Ti said in concern.

"My fleet was much larger. I had three _Lucrehulk_ battleships, two _Diamond _class cruisers, twelve Rocketships, two more _Providence _cruisers, twelve missile frigates, two more _Recusant_s, three more _Munificent_s, one _Saboath _cruiser, two _Saboath _frigates, three Hex Deployers and four Banking Clan _Rocketshape _class cruisers."

"So, where are they? Were they destroyed?" Tsui asked.

"No. I knew that the Empire was coming, so I sent them away so they could be used as a trap. However, Admiral Penish blew that plan out of the water by jamming transmissions. I told them if they hadn't heard from me in three weeks, they were to scatter across the stars until they were recalled."

"An impressive fleet." Luminara complimented.

"Thank you. I intend to gather it, but not for a while. It seems to me that many Confederacy ships are just waiting dead in space since the end of the war. If we gathered them all, it would give us a good edge over the Empire."

"According to Master Vos and Master Tholme's spies, a large percentage of the CIS fleet has already been rounded up. They guess that about a half of the fleets left to get." Tsui said.

"A half that would serve us better than the Empire." Shaak Ti pointed out.

"Can you call them?" Luminara asked.

"No. I'm afraid not. However, the Separatist Council could."

"But they're all dead." Tsui said.

"I don't need them alive, I just need their codes."

Shaak Ti knew what she wanted.

"Ah. I see."

"Glad you do." Tsui said.

"We need to go to Mustafar."

"Oh bugger."

"Right my dear girl. You will come with me to Mustafar, Master Luminara you have command of the fleet until I return. We're going to Mustafar."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Deep in space, an Imperial fleet was waiting for orders. An _Imperial _Star Destroyer, flanked by two _Victory _Star Destroyers and a bunch of support ships. On the bridge of the ISD, called the _Bloodbath_, was a small man. He was just a bit taller than Yoda had been, however he had a large handlebar moustache and wispy brown hair. He was human and well built. And he commanded his fleet with an iron fist. His name was General Joren. And he was awaiting a message from above.

"Sir!"

His captain came hurrying towards him. Joren waited for him to catch his breath, then proceeded in his deep voice.

"Yes captain?"

"We have three messages, all demanding the same thing."

"Display them all."

The largest image was the black clad enforcer of the Emperor, Darth Vader. The other two were Imperial Admiral Commodore snake and a clone dressed in white and red armour.

"General Joren."

"Lord Vader, Admiral Snake, clone."

"The clone's name is Commander Carhac." Snake said.

"Ah, I have heard of this man. He is very famous in the outer reaches."

"Thank you sir."

"General, I believe you fought with a Jedi during the Clone Wars." Snake said.

"I did sir. It was on Teyr. It was a Whipid, and he was too concerned about the clones. If he had just got on with it, there wouldn't have been any problem. But he was determined to save lives, and he got on my nerves. I struck him. He said he would ruin my career. He got me demoted to captain for my conduct before he disappeared."

"Well, we want to recruit you and your fleet." Carhac said.

"For what?"

"I take it you want revenge against this Jedi?" Vader asked.

"Of course. But I assumed he was killed during Order 66."

"He survived. And he is currently with the Empire's greatest enemy Shaak Ti, who it is our job to destroy. Your Jedi, K'kruhk, is with her." Snake said.

"Revenge will be yours General." Vader promised.

Joren clicked his heels together.

"Certainly Lord Vader."

"Excellent! We leave it to you General. Find them and kill them."

"As you wish."

The holos flickered off, and he turned to his captains.

"Revenge at last. You heard them. This will secure our futures gentlemen, getting rid of the Jedi will put us in very good stead with the Emperor. Set your course for the Mustafar system."

"Mustafar sir? What makes you think they will be there?"

"Common sense. They have just rescued Asajj Ventress from under the nose of Admiral Penish. It's obvious that they will head there next. They will be there. And so will our fleet."

"Yes sir!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Luminara looked out of the viewport.

"Master Luminara."

"Yes Dark Woman?"

"You seem troubled my dear." She said.

The older woman sat down on the observation couch of the _Liberty_. Outside was the rest of the fleet, and aside from that, stars. Shaak Ti had left her in charge of the fleet while she went with Ventress to Mustafar.

"What is it?" Dark Woman asked.

Luminara sighed.

"I don't know. It's just us being here. We've changed from being the dominant force in the galaxy to a group of rebels. And now we have to rub shoulders with our former enemies to stand a chance of survival. And we're fighting old allies to ensure victory. We've changed my dear. We've all had to. We've lost so much, and I have to believe that we will not lose our way."

"Master Ti wont let us. She knows what's at stake. Though we are going to have to change my dear."

Luminara sighed.

"Oh, I don't know what's wrong. I just dislike change."

"That's only natural. And I fear that we've all been going at lightspeed since it all happened. We all need a rest."

"Tell that to the Empire."

Dark Woman smiled.

"I would love to. Hang in there. As we gain more followers, there will be less pressure on us, and then we can all calm down. And I suppose you are missing Barriss."

"A little bit."

Dark Woman patted her shoulder again.

"Understandable."

The door opened once again, this time to admit Tra Saa.

"Look over in the right hand corner of the viewport." She said.

They did so, and they could just make out a small, red triangular shape.

"A Jedi Starfighter. A Delta 7."

"It's been following us. Ever since Rhen Var."

"It's a wonder it survived after all we've been through." Luminara said.

"Well quite."

"Do you reckon it's friendly?"

"Yes." Luminara said confidently.

"What makes you say that?"

Luminara smiled feebly and pointed. At the point where she was pointing, five Star Destroyers leapt out of lightspeed.

"CARHAC!" they all yelled.

The fighter fled, but they had more immediate worries.

"Send a message to Master Ti through the Force Master Saa! Commander Merelev get us out of here!"

There was a shake, and Luminara knew that they had lost the bridge. They were caught totally unprepared.

"Get us out of here!"

The secondary bridge sprang into action and the fleet was suddenly on the move. They had escaped Carhac. For now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The _Silver Blade _arrived at Mustafar. The fiery planet was below them, and they had little time to complete their mission and get back to the fleet before it was discovered.

"Well, take us down Syron dear. The quicker we're away from here the better. I have a bad feeling about this." Shaak Ti said.

"You too?" Syron asked.

"You reckon it's Ventress?" Tsui asked.

"No. something else is going on. And I don't like it."

The Corvette shot down into the atmosphere, headed for the Separatist bunker, embedded deep into one of the extinct volcanoes. Ventress led the group, including the two Jedi, from the ship.

"Keep the engine warm." Syron said to Softy, who looked quite relieved to stay indoors.

This was a hellish planet. Heat, ash, flame, lava, it was most being's idea of hell. Not a nice place to live, and should have been a perfect place to keep the Separatist Council. The problem was that they weren't safe from the Sith. Using Ventress' codes, they finally got to the command room and saw the massacre. Po Nudo, Shu Mai, Passel Argente, Nute Gunray, Poggle the Lesser, San Hill and many other Confederate leaders were lying dead on the floor, most butchered. Vella looked sick, and Syron put his arm around her.

"Didn't mess around did he?" Ventress asked casually.

Shaak Ti frowned. She didn't like having to trust the woman, however, here she was. Ventress seemed to be doing a calculation.

"Two missing." She stated.

"Who?" Tsui asked as he checked Rune Haako's body.

Ventress thought it over.

"Tikkes and Wat Tambor. Even if they're alive, I'm technically Head of State of the Confederacy."

"How do you figure that?"

"Dooku is gone, his second was Grievous, and he's gone, Sora Bulq's dead and so is the Separatist Council. Without Durge and Sev'Rance Tann, there's no one to oppose my rule. Not that there's much to rule."

K'kruhk, who had followed after he had finished putting things away in the ship, frowned.

"Something isn't right."

"I know my dear. I don't like it much myself." Shaak Ti said.

There was then a trundling.

"Syron, Vella, take cover!" Tsui yelled as his blade sprang to his hand.

A door opened, revealing three heavily armed Destroyer Droids.

"Sithspit." Ventress snapped, as her blades leapt into her hands, and as she leapt at the droids.

The Destroyers started firing away with their blasters, tearing up the room. Syron was cursing behind a command desk, while Vella had taken to hiding in a pile of bodies. However, the droids were dealing with four Jedi, one of which was a Dark Jedi with no restraints, one of which a rather bad tempered Whipid, one a very small and deadly fighter and one a very peeved off Council member.

As Shaak Ti, Tsui and Ventress deflected shots back at the three lethal droids, K'kruhk leapt through the air, landing behind on.

"HAAAAAA!"

He stuck his hands through the shield of the droid, singeing his fur as he did so. He then bent the cannons backwards, grabbed hold of the droid and crashed it to the floor.

"AH!"

He lifted the droid from the floor and threw it across the room, so hard that it crashed through the viewport and tumbled out into the fiery lava below.

Tsui then rolled at his droid, leaving Shaak Ti and Ventress to fend off the bolts. He rolled into the shield, brought his saber into the reactor bulb of the droid, and then blasted it away with a force push, where it exploded as it crashed into the wall.

Only one left, and that one belonged to Ventress. She leapt through the air, bringing one blade through the top of the shield and slicing off the cannons. She then stuck her blade through the droid, and her other through it's head so that it collapsed, twitching, to the floor.

It had taken a minute.

"Wow, that was cool!" Syron said as he got up.

Ventress snarled.

"Vader didn't leave these standing. Someone's here."

"Commander Ventress!"

They turned to see a Quarren in deep red robes approaching. Ventress extended a hand and jerked him off the ground.

"Are you trying to kill me Senator Tikkes?"

"Certainly not Commander! I thought it might be Vader, coming back to finish the job. That's all, I swear!"

Ventress snarled and dropped him.

"Very well."

"Senator Tikkes. I'm quite surprised to see you here." Shaak Ti said.

"I take it you're here for the codes?" he asked.

"Afraid so. Do any of the other leaders live?" Ventress asked.

"Wat Tambor did. I arrived in time to save his life. The others are all dead. I meant to stick them in the lava, but I never got round to it."

Ventress looked around at the carnage and snarled in disgust.

"Is there anything we can use?"

Tikkes shook his head.

"Not a lot. I looked around, and reactivated a few squads of droids, but that's about it. So, there's only my Mon Cal cruiser in orbit and the Rocketship that's down here, and the forces on board both ships."

Shaak Ti sighed.

"Better than nothing I suppose."

Tikkes nodded.

"Shall we go?"

"Just let me download the codes we need." Ventress said, stepping to the console.

Shaak Ti cursed as her comm beeped.

"What?"

"We have a visitor." Teecee reported.

"Who?"

"An Imperial fleet."

"Fortune vomits in my back garden once again. Who is it this time? Vader? Snake? Carhac?"

"Amazingly, none of them. It's a new guy by all appearances. Command ships the ISD _Bloodbath_."

K'kruhk, who had been telling Ventress to get a move on, spat out unintentionally.

"Bugger!"

"Know it?"

"I'll explain later."

"Right, we're on our way."

She turned off the comm and turned to Tikkes.

"Get out of here."

"I will disappear like a phantom!"

He then shot down the back passage.

"As mad as ever." Ventress complained as she downloaded the last of the files.

The entire station then shook.

"Exit stage left." Shaak Ti said.

They ran for it as green turbolaser shots started blasting away at the molten rock outside. They could do it for a hundred years, and they wouldn't scratch the place. However, the _Silver Blade_ couldn't withstand many direct turbolaser hits, so they needed to get a move on.

They rushed out, the green shots pouring down from orbit. The barely got inside the ship before Softy slammed shut the door and gunned the engines, heading for space.

"What do we have?" Syron asked as he took the pilot's chair.

"Three Star Destroyers which can do a lot of no good to us, and two Interdictors which could really upset the apple cart." Vella reported.

Shaak Ti appeared behind them.

"Get me Tikkes."

The Quarren answered.

"Master Ti, we're aboard the Rocketship and are headed your way. I've sent a message to my cruiser, and it's en route."

The Rocketship, named _Interest_, joined the corvette as they sped at the enemy fleet.

Then a Mon Cal cruiser shot out of lightspeed and started pouring turbolaser fire into the enemy fleet, catching the Strike Cruiser _Damsel _with it's shields down.

A voice suddenly cut across the comm.

"This is General Joren of the Imperial battleship _Bloodbath_. I demand that you all surrender to me now, or face destruction."

K'kruhk shoved Vella out of the way of the comm.

"Joren, I will see you dead!"

"Master K'kruhk. I look forward to killing you myself."

"We shall see."

Turbolaser fire lit up the space around them. Shaak Ti knew that they needed to get out of there. Joren, from what she had heard of him, was ruthless, and they didn't have enough firepower to defeat his fleet.

"The Mon Cal, name _Millionaire_, is heading straight for us." Tikkes said over the comm.

"How long until it arrives?" Syron asked as he watched the TIEs come nearer.

"A minute. Then, we're free."

Vella snarled.

"I cant raise the fleet. They must have fled."

"They've gone?" Tsui asked.

"Afraid so."

Ventress snarled.

"Blasted Empire."

Tsui shook his head.

"Not just the Empire. It was Carhac. I know it was."

The enemy fleet was firing all they had, but the two ships they were firing at were far more agile and avoiding their fire. The fighters however were chewing away at the shields of the ships and wrecking their defences. However, the cruiser was there.

"We're clear. Let's get out of here." Teecee said as he keyed in the coordinates.

K'kruhk looked out at the _Bloodbath_.

"We will meet again General."

With that, the three ships shot away from Mustafar, and away to try and find the fleet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joren snarled.

"Blasted Jedi have escaped once again."

"Sir, Commander Carhac reports that the main fleet has disappeared. He is also sending a data package."

Joren took the note. He had them. They would show up there eventually. And there, they would destroy them.

"Contact Admiral snake and Commander Carhac and have them meet us at Bespin. The Jedi will go there eventually, and I intend to welcome them. Set your course for Bespin."

"Yes sir!"

Joren smiled, showing his yellow teeth.

"And there, the Jedi shall die."

**So, joren is going to Bespin. Is he right? So, we have new allies and new enemies. ?New Jedi next chapter! And they might be familiar to those who have you who have been watching the recent Star Wars news. So, please read and review, and tomorrow's Monday, so Dark Times night!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

17

The three cruisers sped towards the second rendezvous point, outside the Anoat system. The fleet greatly benefited with the addition of the Separatist ships, and while Ventress attended to Tambor and Tikkes, Shaak Ti called a sort of Reconciliation Council meeting with the four most prominent Jedi to decide on their next move.

The four of the met in Shaak Ti's little used quarters on the _Liberty_. Tsui, Tholme and Tra Saa were already there when she arrived.

"Welcome my friends. Sorry I'm late."

"Quite alright." Tsui said as she sat down.

"So, we need to decide on our next move. And may I say I totally agree with yours and Luminara's decision to flee rather than fight. Though we can now overwhelm him and his fleet, the problem is that we cant defend against his fighters adequately. The Separatist cruisers have the ships they are meant to have, but our ships don't, so, in other words, we need fighters."

Tra nodded.

"I agree. Also, the captains have decided formally that Ackdara is to take over the fleet with the death of Commander Merelev. She commands the _Swift_. And her first report was to inform us that we're running low on tibanna gas."

Shaak Ti frowned. If they didn't have gas, they couldn't fire weapons, and that would be a rather large problem in the general scheme of things.

"Schutta."

"We also have no fighters from our own cruisers as you say Master Ti. And if we get engaged in a battle where the enemy has a fighter and cruiser advantage, we'll need to deploy the fighters to protect the cruisers and to attack the enemy. It will get a lot of people killed, and we will lose what fighters we have very quickly."

Shaak Ti sighed.

"So, basically, without more fighters we're up a certain creek without a certain instrument once again."

Tsui smiled.

"Nearby, there is a certain planet with plenty of gas, a lot of weapons to be had on the black market, ships, supplies and money."

"Bespin." Tra smiled.

"Quite."

Shaak Ti grinned.

"Well, I fear we have a mission to plan. Call our dear Separatist allies, call the smugglers, the species leaders, Ackdara and the Jedi. Let's get cracking."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bespin was a large gas giant, which people inhabited on floating cities that travelled the air. And it was the site of a Jedi mission. The plan was simple: two teams of three Jedi would stay in cantinas, ready to help if things went tits up. One team would go to the fighter lot to scrounge a couple of fighters off the black market. One would go around quite harmlessly, collecting supplies and weapons and take them to the several ships they had generated for the mission. One team would combine with a bunch of Wookiees and Tuskens and raid the garrison to steal more fighters. Another team would go and get gas. And the other would infiltrate and make some money at the tables.

For the mission, they had come to the largest city on Bespin, Metrololair, however that was soon to be outsized by the up and coming Cloud City. At this present moment, the teams were underway. When they had completed their mission, they would send a message to Ackdara and bring her and the fleet to Bespin to get them all out of the sector. A flawless plan. However Shaak Ti knew full well that plans had a nasty habit of going pear shaped.

However, they were committed, and at this present moment, Shaak Ti entered a smoky, red glared cantina on the lower levels. At another entrance, Ventress entered with Luminara. Shaak Ti didn't trust her much. At least not yet.

Shaak Ti sat down beside Syron and the others at a table and Vella got drinks. The droids were on the ship, awaiting contact. Shaak Ti sipped her gin and tonic.

"Something's not right. There's an undercurrent of fear here." She said quietly.

"And there isn't much traffic, and a lot of people in here." Syron said nervously.

"Hmm."

She didn't know what was going on. So, the only reasonable thing to do was have another drink.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The crew of the _Uhumele _had followed Quin, Dass and Bultar into another cantina on the other side of the city. They were awaiting orders, so in the meantime, they had a drink. All the Jedi felt apprehensive. Something wasn't quite right. Bultar stretched out with her feelings, and swore.

"What's up?" Dass asked in concern.

"Carhac. He's here."

Quin swore.

"What do we do? Do we tell Master Ti?"

"Yes, but by the Force."

Quin frowned. Another presence was at the edge of the Force, one just as malicious as Carhac. He had a bad feeling about this.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Flying Leap was a fighter showroom, and Tholme, along with Zett and Senna had cash to burn.

"Look out for bargains. And clones." Tholme warned.

"Yes master." Zett responded dully.

"And a nice pretty ship." Tholme winked.

The two young Jedi smiled and went off in different directions while Tholme went up to the manager.

"Hello there." Tholme said cheerily.

"What can I do for you sir?" the manager asked, smiling at him.

_Corporate clone. _

"I seek to buy some fighter squadrons. Preferably some with some guns and missiles so we don't keep getting shot at."

"That sounds like you're going to fight the Empire sir. I'm afraid I cant hel ypu."

"Bollocks. Very well sonny, I shall tell you. I come from a planet far out in the Outer Rim, which have only recently gained flight capabilities. But before they attack my government, I want them wiped out. With me?"

"Oh yes sir. That's alright."

"Good oh."

"How many are you after?"

Tholme frowned. Time to do some quick adding. Three for each Mon Cal cruiser made nine, one for each dungeon ship made twenty one, three for the Wookiee cruiser made twenty four, one for the four Carracks made twenty five and one for each Mon Cal frigate made twenty nine.

"Twenty nine."

"I'm sorry sir. We only have six full squadrons."

"What are they then?"

"We have two Z95 squadrons, one Naboo Starfighter squadron, one Delta 7 squadron, one V19 torrent squadron and a Cloakshape squadron."

"What about all the ones in the back storehouse?" Senna asked innocently.

"You daft girl! Why did you tell him?"

"More fighters. What will this get me?"

The man swore unhappily, then relented.

"Thirteen squadrons, the ones I've already mentioned, plus two more torrent squadrons, one Y-wing squadron, two R22 squadrons, one V-wing squadron and one Eta squadron."

"We'll take the lot." Tholme said, smiling.

The man grumbled but eventually gave in. They would be transported to the landing pad and await pick up.

They had done their part.

"Now my young friends, what say you to a KFC?"

The two younglings grinned, and off they went.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Excellently done Master Tholme. Await contact." Shaak Ti said.

She nodded across to Ventress, who sent a message to dice, Alpha and Aidus, who were in a freighter they had stolen, ready to get droids into the fighters. They would attend to the fighters.

Shaak Ti suddenly felt Bultar resonate a warning.

_Carhac_.

"Bugger!"

"What's wrong?" Syron asked.

"Carhac's here."

"We'll be safe as long as he doesn't see us." Vella soothed.

"What about those clones?" Syron asked.

Softy moved his head so Shaak Ti could see. These clones had pink pauldrons.

"Garrison, don't worry. They don't know us."

She motioned to Ventress and Luminara, and they went back to their drinks. The clones were heading for a grizzled old man at the bar who was quietly enjoying a beer. The commander dug his blaster into the man's back.

"You're coming with us scum."

"In a little minute."

The man downed the rest of his beer. The bar had gone quiet as they watched this exchange.

"Come with us. Now."

"I think not."

The man flipped over the top of the clones, a lightsaber springing into his hand as he did so. The leader's head came flying off, as an entire squad rushed in, blasters armed. The old man flattened the remaining four clones with a Force pus, carving them up as they fell. He didn't seem worried in the slightest about the approaching squad. Then it became apparent why, as an Iridonian woman flew out of the shadows, tonfa shaped lightsabers slicing apart the squad. It was over in thirty seconds, clone body parts littering the floor.

"Well done my dear." the man said in his deep, gravely voice.

"Weren't so bad yourself."

Shaak Ti however, didn't think they should be congratulated. She went towards them, and they fingered their sabers warily.

"Honestly Master Kota, get a grip."

In the light, Kota's eyes weren't that good.

"Who are you?"

She stepped forward, raising the glasses she was wearing as part of her disguise as she did so.

"It is I, Shaak Ti."

"Master Ti! You live!" he said happily.

"Afraid so. And you and young Mariss Brood have just blown one of our operations!"

"Oops." Mariss said meekly.

"Honestly!"

She went for her comm.

"This is Master Ti. We are compromised. Finish off what you are doing and let us flee!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Dark Woman was charged with going around the black market and getting illicit goods, along with food, weapons and medical supplies. She had gotten a fair bit of what she was after, and now she was to see if she could get some more fighters for the cause. They would seen be fully stocked up. She hoped. But first she had to find Scout and Whie, who were getting medical supplies. They had commed her, and she was to pick them up before they went for ships. She looked into the meeting area to see Whie hugging Scout.

"Whie! What are you doing with your arms around Scout?"

Whie sighed.

"You stupid woman! Can you not see that she is scared of the clones being so close? She fainted, and I was reviving her using the heat from my body!"

"Oh, so sorry dear." Dark Woman said, chastised.

As she turned away to hide her blush, Whie and Scout sniggered. They of course had been doing nothing of the sort.

"Come. I have heard of a Foost, who seems to flog ships on the black market. Come."

They followed her through the busy corridors and out onto a balcony. Many of the cafes where full, and Dark Woman saw what she was looking for.

"Bingo."

She darted across to the man and sat over from him.

"Yes?"

He was a Gotal, and he looked bored.

"I hear you are the one to talk to about certain items."

"I am."

"Fighters." She mumbled so there was little chance of being overhead.

"No fighters without the cruiser."

She grinned. This was better than she hoped.

"What is it?"

"A Dreadnaught. Can hold one fighter squadron and two troop regiments normally. This one, two squadrons and one troop regiment."

"Deal."

"Not so hasty. Fighters ARC 170s. Very hot stuff."

"How many do you have?"

"Another squadron."

"We'll take the lot."

He smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dark Woman reported in just after she sent the message, saying she would meet them. The bar was still quiet, however no clones had been yet.

"This is strange." Shaak Ti muttered.

"I'm not complaining." Syron said.

However she couldn't quite shake the fact that something was about to go wrong.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And it was going wrong. But not in their cantina. In the other. The _Uhumele_'s crew was firing at the clones who had arrived from the local garrison, but the Jedi were pinned down and unable to attack back. The pink shoulders indicated their base, but there was a short clone with grey armour that was leading them.

"Jedi!" Schurk-Heren yelled.

"Who's that?" Crys Taanzer asked.

"Don't know."

Bomo ran out firing, dropping about six clones. Emboldened, the rest of the crew ran forward, which gave Dass the diversion he needed. He used the force to topple a light onto more clones. At long last, the Jedi were out, slicing apart the clones who were too near. Bultar saw what the grey clone was doing before he did it.

"Bomo!"

The little Nosaurian had killed eleven troops in the last few minutes, and heard her scream. But it was too late. The man shot Bomo, right in the chest. And he didn't stop firing. Eleven shots were poured into him, before the Jedi sprang.

"Back!" Quin yelled, force pushing him.

Bomo dropped to the ground, twitching.

"Bomo!" Dass said in dismay.

The crew of the _Uhumele _couldn't believe it. They ran towards him.

"Bomo!" Crys demanded.

Dass knelt down beside his friend.

"Bomo, no."

Bomo gave him a kindly look.

"Resa…."

And with that, the spirited Nosaurian died.

"Bomo!" Dass yelled, aggrieved by his friend's loss.

The crew looked at their dead comrade, and looked up just in time to see more clones enter and haul the one in grey, who's helmet was damaged, to his feet.

"For Bomo." Ratty said.

With that they sprang. Dass landed right in the centre and started slicing apart his enemies, body parts flying everywhere. Ratty ran headlong into it, his wicked vibroblades slicing apart clones stomachs as they all dropped to the ground. Schurk-Heren, Ko Vakier, Mezgraf and Sniffles leapt in and started pulling clones apart, while Crys and Jank blasted them apart. Meanwhile, Quin and Bultar were cutting their way to the grey clone. As Bultar turned to deal with more pink clones, Quin leapt at the grey one, who pulled off his helmet.

"Who are you?" Quin demanded of the short little man as soon as he decided he wasn't a clone.

"I am General Joren, and I am going to kill you."

Quin snarled.

"You killed Bomo, and for that, you'll pay."

Joren grinned and started firing with his blaster. Then did Quin realise that he was good with his blaster. Quin was hard pressed to block them at such a close range, and was losing focus as emotions raged around him, despair especially. When lunging to stop a shot hitting Bultar, a bolt clipped Quin's saber from his hand.

"Oh oh."

"Told you so."

He raised his blaster, and Quin took a deep breath.

Then a blaster bolt lanced into Joren's leg.

"What?" he demanded.

Khaleen appeared with Vilmarh, both firing blasters. Two more shots from Khaleen caught the man, but he fled before she could finish him, though one leg was out of commission and he had a hole in his gut.

"Thanks."

"I'm not letting some short stuff General kill my man. Vilmarh found you."

Vilmarh winked.

"Nobody waste my Jedi."

"Quite."

They looked at the carnage around them. Many patrons had been killed by stray shots, and of course, so had Bomo. But the clones were gone, for now.

Until the blew apart the door.

"Behind us!" Bultar yelled.

The crew all stood behind the Jedi, who turned to each other.

"Well?" Quin asked, seeing the number and knowing they were screwed unless they did something fast.

"Down." Bultar said, swinging her blade.

She jumped, then ran around in a circle, allowing the pirates to pour blaster fire into the clones. More and more fell to their fury, and Bultar came back.

"Now! Hold on!"

The Jedi Force pushed the circle she had cut, and they all thudded down to make good their escape.

"Bomo's still up there." Crys protested.

"I'm sorry. It's not practical." Bultar said apologetically.

The clones appeared at the hole.

"Balls!"

Khaleen saw that they had already knackered the floor they had thudded down onto, so they may as well finish the job. She fired a bolt into the crack, and the floor collapsed, sending them into another cantina. And then they were meant by glowing lightsabers.

"Quin!" Shaak Ti shouted.

"Let's go!" he shouted.

As he said it, the pink clones dropped down from above. They didn't last long as Mariss and Shaak Ti slaughtered them.

"Come!"

They ran for the door, just as the cantina was blown open by a massive battalion of clones.

"Jedi!"

"We're in trouble! Follow me!"

And with that, the crew ran from the cantina, only to meet another group outside. By this time though, Ventress' blood was up. Giving a war cry, she launched herself at them, her blades carving apart both squads as they felt her rage. They were dead in seconds.

"Impressive." Ratty said.

"Thank you."

Shaak Ti turned on her comm.

"This is Shaak Ti. Finish now! We're leaving!"

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Oblivious to all that was going on with the other missions, K'kruhk, Jeisel and A'sharad were all in the garrison base. Which was totally empty. No one was around.

"This is indeed strange. How many are here?" K'kruhk asked.

"Two hundred." Jeisel responded nervously.

"So where are they?" A'sharad asked as he looted the place for medical supplies, food and weapons.

"Who cares? Let us go to the landing pad."

Being an important military resource, the garrison here was rather large, with ten whole fighter squadrons, one Eta, five ARC 170 and four V-wing. A'sharad sent a message, and Aidus then came around the corner, driving a hover truck he had stolen.

"Here's the droids. All of them are ready to go, and Dark Woman's got us a new cruiser."

"Brilliant!" Jeisel exclaimed as the droids got into the fighters.

"Where are all the clones?" A'sharad asked.

"Don't know." Aidus said, but then paused as he answered the comm.

After finishing, he turned to the others.

"We're leaving. We've been blown. And all the clones are chasing the cantina teams. And Joren's here."

K'kruhk snarled.

"And so's Carhac." He added.

"Oh great. Two mass murderers."

"Let us flee then."

With that, the three Jedi got into the truck, as the fighters lifted off.

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The gas operation had gone smoothly. Until they had loaded up the five shuttles.

"Stop, thief!" the security guards yelled.

Serra, Dyren and Deas, the idiot from Tatooine were blocking their shots, determined not to harm the men, as they were only doing their job. But the clones that came afterwards, they were a different matter. Using the Force, Serra levitated on her belly, and span at them like a tornado. The clones were skewered as she sliced through them like they were butter. She then landed in the midst of the group, and was soon backed up by Dyren, his kicks defeating the guards, his blade attacking the clones. Deas sent the message, and the droid pilots flew the shuttles away and towards the Dreadnaught the Dark Woman had bought.

"I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying myself!" Serra yelled as she sliced off two clones' heads.

"I am too. Deas, are the ships away?"

"Uh, I think so."

"Close enough."

"Why did we get stuck with the witless wonder?" Serra asked as the Force pushed three clones off the platform.

"Force knows. We cant keep this up."

"I agree."

She unleashed a massive Force wave, knocking their attackers off their feet. Down below them, Metrololair was bustling with clone activity. And then she saw them. Lightsabers. She pointed.

"Master Ti."

"Let's go!"

The three Jedi then sprang from the Tibanna platform above the city and hurtled down, landing right beside Shaak Ti, who leapt about a foot in the air.

"Serra!"

"Sorry."

"Come on."

Not far to go now. And only one team left.

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They had made over two million by using the Force, but the party was over. As Tsui took the last of his winnings as per Master Ti's instructions, clones barged into the casino.

"Crap!"

They were caught completely by surprise as Quasal and Tra sprang from the shadows, ripping the apart.

"Well done!" Tsui yelled, then took the blaster of the attendant.

He fired a shot into the ceiling.

"Right, if you don't give us your winnings, we will do the same to you!"

Tra and Quasal were gob smacked, then shrugged.

The patrons stood away from their winnings, and Tra shoved it all into a bad using the Force.

"Carry the swag." She ordered.

She then picked Tsui up.

"Hey, what are you doing, I'm a Jedi Master! I can run!"

They then ran from the casino, Tsui still yelling.

"Rather immoral my friend." Tra said.

"So's being carried!"

"Shut up!"

The clones had summoned reinforcements and were catching up.

"Schutta!"

She broke a window, and they sprang downwards. She barely heard the clones curse as they landed many flights below. A woman came around the corner.

"That's an ugly baby." She said.

"Ugly? How dare you!" Tsui yelled, and he tried to hit the woman with his lightsaber hilt.

"Bad baby!" Tra said, leading Quasal away from the scandalised woman.

They ran around a corner, and nearly into a lightsaber. Tra threw up her arms, and Tsui, in fright.

"Tra!" Shaak Ti cursed.

"Master Ti!"

Tsui was falling back down, when he was stopped by the Dark Woman, emerging from the shadows with Whie and Scout.

"What's all that?" Dark Woman asked Quasal.

"Swag. We stole it. It was his idea!" Quasal protested as Shaak Ti glared.

"We need to leave, now. Get our new ships off the ground, and tell them to head to the _Blade._" Syron said.

As Vella did so, a hover truck arrived, with the other two teams inside.

"Quick!" Tholme encouraged.

The Jedi sprang in, and Aidus gunned the engine.

They soon pulled up beside the ship, just as the clones arrived and started unleashing blasterfire at them. The Jedi deflected the shots back at their enemies then dashed onto the ship.

"Get us out of here Softy!" Syron yelled as they dashed for the cockpit.

Blaster bolts surrounded the ship as Teecee let lose with one of the ships cannons and then pushed the ship upward into space. They blasted apart the platform and headed upward.

"Signal our new forces and tell Ackdara to get under way." Shaak Ti ordered as she arrived in the cockpit.

"Already done." Vella said.

"Well done dear. Let us depart."

The Dreadnaught and the fighter squadrons joined up with them as they emerged into space. And now they had a new problem to deal with. They had left the stormtroopers far behind. Now they had the fighters and the Star Destroyers to deal with.

"Joren killed Bomo." Quin reported.

"Blast. Where is he?"

"We had to leave him behind."

"Sad soul. AHH!"

As out of lightspeed had emerged Carhac's, Joren's and Snake's fleet.

"That's not good."

"No kidding? Where is Ackdara!?"

No sooner were the words out of her mouth when the entire fleet arrived in orbit and opened fire at the enemy fleets. However, it was plain even to an idiot like Deas that they couldn't win this fight.

"Now what?" Syron asked.

"Good question."

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Joren looked out at the fleet.

"Tell the other ships to turn to face their fleet, and suggest that Admiral snake and Commander Carhac do the same."

"Yes sir. But what will we be doing?"

"Target Metropolair's repulsors and open fire."

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Shaak Ti watched as the _Bloodbath_, the _Serpent _and the _Brutality _turned away from their fleets and pointed towards the planet.

"Snake!" Shaak Ti hissed as she realised what they were going to do.

The turbolaser shots fired onto the planet, blasting apart the repulsorlift housings in the bottom of the city. The city was blasted apart buildings being blown open and fire erupting all over the city as off target shots wiped out the city's inhabitants. The Force screamed as thousands of people were killed. Then, with an explosion visible from space, Metrololair died a fiery death, killing those that had not already been killed.

"Snake! Carhac! Joren! I will see you dead for this!" Shaak Ti promised.

"Slim chance Shaak Ti. Slim chance indeed." Joren said.

The Jedi fleet was turning tail as the forces from the planet reached them. TIE Fighters weren't far behind.

"Get us out of here. Joren will pay for this later." Shaak Ti hissed.

The fleet turned away from the battle and with a great lurch they shot away to lightspeed.

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"Captain, thank Admiral Sake and Commander Carhac, then respectfully ask that they deploy themselves in a interdiction field of five sectors correspondent with their last known trajectory."

"Yes sir."

Joren smiled.

"Sir, another fleet's arriving."

"Whose?"

"Lord Vader's!"

The holo of the imposing Sith Lord appeared before him.

"General Joren. Has Shaak Ti been destroyed?"

"No my lord. However, it is only a matter of time. We are deploying now to catch her in a noose. Then we will squeeze until she chokes."

"Excellent. Then give your orders. Shaak Ti will die. And I intend to be there to see it. You are in command now General Joren."

"Thank you Lord Vader!"

The Sith Lord flickered off, and Joren smiled. In charge of four fleets. Shaak Ti would not escape his wrath.

"Alert all commands: deploy the fleet."

As the other Star Destroyers and their support craft all broke off to form the noose, Joren smiled. Shaak Ti's time was running out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The shocked company all met in the conference room.

"I take it you've seen something like that before?" Vella asked.

"Yes. Unfortunately. Not long after my escape from Dagu, I was sent to Ord Ibanna. Snake was in command of the fleet there. We had done well, taking most of the planet, bar the capital. However, that was when Durge and Count Dooku arrived on the planet. Knowing that the capital was still an enemy stronghold, I took a group of clone commandos named Omega Squad and entered the city. While they sabotaged the air defences, I distracted Dooku and Durge. I fought them head on and the defences were down. After outwitting Durge, I fought Dooku head on. I had nearly got him, when Admiral Snake opened fire. I had to flee, as did Dooku. I fled with Omega Squad, and saw the result of Snake's treachery. The clones had started to attack, and were trapped as Snake destroyed the city. It may have been an enemy stronghold, but there were thousands of innocents and clones on the city as he destroyed it. When we returned to Coruscant, he made clear his hatred for Jedi, and I attempted to have him removed from the military for brutality. However, that was lost, and instead, Palpatine promoted him to admiral, despite my protests."

"What a nice fellow." Bultar said.

"Quite. Sorry we wrecked your operation Master Ti." Kota said.

"It's of little concern. We got what we went for, and a bit more to boot."

"What's our next move?" Luminara asked.

"I don't know."

Teecee entered.

"Master Ti, a fleet has just dropped out of lightspeed. It's broadcasting the Jedi Emergency Code 913, and they're demanding to speak with you."

**So, who wants to speak to Shaak Ti? You'll find out next chapter. So, we've now met Joren. Nasty piece of work, as is Snake. We have two new Jedi, Master Kota and Marris Brood from the upcoming Force Unleashed, and I killed off poor Bomo. Nasty I know. i orginianlly wanted it to be a Jedi, but I couldnt decide so I picked on him instead. And if you watch it, some of you may notice some Allo Allo references. Shaak Ti revealing herself to Kota is just like in the show when LeClerc reveals himself, and when the Dark Woman catches Whie and Scout in the act, its basically the same as when Rene's wife Edith normally catches him with a waitress. So, will update as soon as possible and until then, please read and review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

18

It was a Republic fleet alright. A _Venator _Star Destroyer, two _Accumulator_s, two Carracks and a Dreadnaught made up the fleet. However, Shaak Ti was much more concerned with who was on it. Seemingly, two Jedi were on this fleet. Answers were needed. So she went across on a shuttle for a diplomatic meeting.

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Clones. Loads of them. It was basically an entire fleet's worth of soldiers. And she didn't like it one bit. True, they had Alpha and Dice, and a couple of others, but Shaak Ti wouldn't trust the vast majority of them as far as she could throw them. Operation Knightfall and Order 66 kept ringing alarms in her mind.

She however ignored them as she slowly made her way through the Star Destroyer _Integrity_. She eventually arrived in the conference room, and smiled. Two Jedi were there waiting for her, and they both rose to greet her.

"Master Voolvif Monn. Master Kai Justiss."

"Master Ti."

Voolvif was a tall, furry Shistaven Jedi who had fought during the Clone Wars and was a veteran of the Battle of Muunilust. Kai Justiss was a human Jedi who had been trained by Jedi Master Ur-Sema Du and had fought across the galaxy, though was more used to Kashyyyk as he had been the planet's watchman.

"It's good to see you both. Tell me, how do you come to be here?"

Voolif sat down, as Kai busied himself making coffee.

"It's quite a tale Master Ti. You know that I was deployed to Kintan just before Order 66."

Shaak Ti nodded. In a bold move, General Grievous had split up his forces. It was said that Grievous had seen one of his children killed by a Nikto while on Kalee, thus giving the droid a hatred for Nikto almost as large as his hatred of Jedi. He had sent a small task force to attack Kintan while the rest of his forces attacked Coruscant. Learning of this, the Council had sent Voolif with his task force to liberate the planet.

"So what happened? Master Justiss was on Kashyyyk, and you were sent along with Master Exaz."

"Patience. Well, here I was happily minding my own business when my Commander Spark suddenly displays a holo of Palpatine, executing Order 66. So, of course I asked what it was. They didn't have a clue."

"What?"

"Seems that the Contingency Orders book never got to them. When we finally finished on Kintan, they found out what it was and decided to ignore it. Very peculiar indeed. However, by this time, I had felt the deaths of all the Jedi, and I knew that the Empire would be pursuing us eventually. So, we needed to find help. We travelled to Kashyyyk, where it was rumoured that Master Yoda was. There we picked up Master Justiss."

"But what of Master Exaz?"

Exaz was a little female Sullastan, and a friend of Shaak Ti's.

"I'm getting to that. She didn't have a clue what to do afterwards either. So, we eventually decided to work together to infuriate the Empire. She is even now fermenting distrust and rebellion at Sullust."

Shaak Ti smiled.

"So, you escaped Order 66 and decided to start a rebellion. So you conned poor Exaz into leading the Sullustans into rebellion. But, after that, how did you come to be here?"

"Well, we heard tales of a Jedi Master of some repute who was gathering Jedi to the cause and infuriating the Empire. We've been trying to contact you ever since you were attacked at Rhen Var."

"And now you've found us."

"Yes. You weren't that hard to track. So, Master Ti, it is with great humility that we humbly ask to join your resistance, which is having a bit more luck than us, though we have loyal clones and you don't." Kai said.

Shaak Ti nodded, absently, happy that they had more allies. A fleet of six cruisers, and all the troops and fighters to go with it, and as soon as they got to Sullust, they would have three more Jedi as well. Then she was suddenly filled with dread.

"Master Justiss, what did you say about tracking?" she asked urgently.

"That it wasn't that difficult."

"Oh no!"

She dove for the comm and called Syron.

"Syron, get the fleet out of here now! Set course for Sullust!"

"What's wrong?"

"Just do it!"

It was too late. The four fleets dropped out of lightspeed.

"By the sharp claws of my great aunt Beatrice!" Voolvif yelled.

Shaak Ti sighed.

"Too late."

"Who are these guys?" Kai asked.

"Admiral Snake, Lord Vader, General Joren and Commander Carhac!"

"Quickly, get us out of here!" Kai ordered.

The Jedi fleet opened fire, blowing holes into some of the smaller cruisers as they sped away. With a last lurch, they were free.

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Joren nodded appreciatively.

"Excellent. The interdiction field worked. Now, we'll have them."

Vader, Snake and Carhac all appeared on holo.

"General! The Jedi escaped!" Vader snarled.

"Indeed Lord Vader. But the interdiction field completed its objective. It was to force the Jedi to travel to a planetary system. And now they are."

"Are they?" Carhac asked.

"Yes. They're heading for Sullust."

Snake smiled.

"Well done General."

"And there, we will trap them." Joren smiled.

"Are the new ships of any consequence?" Carhac asked.

"No. Joren's right. There will be nothing to stop us this time. Set your course for the Sullust system." Vader ordered.

Joren grinned evilly, and gave the orders.

**Back again! Sorry this is such a short chapter, but from now on things are going to start going pear shaped. We're all heading to Sullust now, and things are going to get ugly.**

**Right, notes: Voolvif Monn is the wolf guy from the Clone Wars cartoon. Kai Justiss is only seen in pictures, but does exist. Ur-Sema Du fought at the Battle of Geonosis and was killed by General Grievous. and I made up Exaz. **

**So, that's basically it. Might write some more tomorrow, and until the next chapter please read and review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

19

A small Sullastan female was standing on Sorosuub Shipyard One. She was here to do one thing: lead her fellow workers up in rebellion against the Imperials. Behind her was Sullastan Senator Tusk Teen, who had recently fled Coruscant after the Emperor had ordered the arrest of all Senators who had signed the Petition of Two Thousand. Before her there were the entire crew of the shipyard, all ten thousand of them.

"It is time my friends! It is time to strike back and defeat our masters! We will throw of the yoke of oppression and liberate ourselves!"

"You've been spouting this for ten months now! Why is now any different?" a sceptic in the back row asked.

"Because now is the time! Now is the hour! We will fight for what is ours and we will liberate ourselves from this shipyard! Do you want to spend the rest of your days in slavery? No! We will fight to be free, and we will fight until our dying breath!"

"But how can we? They have ships patrolling the shipyards, and all the troops here. We will never make it out alive." A young girl said.

"Oh yes we will!"

She walked over to a set of bulkheads, and pressed a button. It dropped down to show three creates full to the rim with blasters and vibroblades.

"Weapons!"

"So that's what you've been doing!"

"and we also have one last weapon against our oppressors!" Tusk yelled.

"What?"

Exaz then took out her blue lightsaber.

"Me!"

"A Jedi!"

"Now we're sure to win!"

It was then that an armed squad of troopers came through the door.

"Hey! Get back to work!"

"Now!"

Exaz then leapt over the room and began the Sullustan rebellion.

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The Sullustan shipyards were full with recently completed ships, awaiting only someone with rank to announce them to the galaxy. However, the rebellion was not after them. Though it would be nice to have those new ships, they would be too easy to trace. However, recently a large consignment of Republic Judicial Cruisers had arrived for refitting, along with two Dreadnaught cruisers. Exaz's plan was simple. To take the shipyards, that would require a fleet larger than the one they had. And one larger than the one Master Monn and Master Justiss had. However, if they fled and joined the rebellion under Shaak Ti, they would increase their power and come back and free her people. So, they would take a recently completed Liberator Cruiser as their command ship, and the Judicials and Dreadnaughts, and then flee to fight another day. And the plan was going perfectly.

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Sullustans were flowing through the shipyard, attacking their Imperial masters. The commander was not happy.

"Stop them! They're only mice! Kill them!" he ordered.

"But they're mice with weapons." His secretary said.

"So? We are the Empire! We have much more weapons they can ever hope to have!"

"We might need help."

"Inform the sector commander that we need three extra garrisons to put down this uprising!"

The holo came on, but it was too late. Just as the commander finished the report, the door opened and the Sullustans swarmed in.

"Jedi!" the commander yelled.

He said nothing more as Exaz's blade sliced him in half.

"Seize this yard! And prepare for the next phase!"

"Yes mam!"

"It's been going well my friend." Tusk said to his companion.

"Indeed it has. Now, all I need is for Master Monn to keep his appointment, and we'll be in business."

Exaz surveyed the readouts. Her rebellion was going perfectly. The Imps were heading, as intended for the ships that they were about to take. Once there, they would be trapped inside one bulkhead while the rest took the ships for their own.

"Master Exaz! Imp reinforcements!" Tusk yelled.

She frowned as three CR20 carriers shot into the shipyard and disgorged troops into the command corridor: in other words, right outside.

"Not good. We must shut down the yard, then get to our ships. Follow my lead." Exaz ordered as she lit her lightsaber.

Each one carried forty troopers, and they were all fully stocked. One hundred and twenty clones to take care of.

"May the Force be with us." She said.

With that the door opened and she leapt out into the corridor. Blaster fire surrounded her as she dashed at her enemies. As her fellow rebels opened fire on the clones, she sprang right into the throng. One hundred and twenty? Easy.

Leaping right at them, she sliced through three troops in one swift move. She then sprang across the room to decapitate several more. And that was when the rebels opened fire. As clones dropped from blaster fire, Exaz entered the fray, rolling under several clones and slicing them from the bottom. Then leaping forward she stuck her saber through one then threw it to kill two more. She then force pushed several more out of the way, allowing her rebels to flood into the corridor. Blocking bolts, she steadily advanced forward, dropping clones with their own laser bolts. Then with one last concentrated effort, she pushed forward, slashing into all clones that stood in her way. Trapped in the narrow corridor, it was easy to kill them.

"Grenade!" someone yelled.

Exaz used the Force to throw it back at the originator, blowing them all apart. She then used the Force to bring the ceiling down on the rest. The battle was over.

"Excellently done all of you. Now, you lot, go and take those ships for our own. The rest of you, to your ships!"

And with that, the rebellion of shipyard three entered its final stage.

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Argron, of the former Republic, now Imperial _Consular _class cruiser _Justice_ received the transmission from Master Exaz. The rebellion was nearly complete, and every one was heading for the ships. At last. He turned to his second in command, a Mon Calamari named Jehmit.

"She did it. All forces are now heading for the ships."

"What about the ones we all caught?"

"We'll deal with them later."

Outside, the rest of the _Consular_ class fleet was powering up. The five of them, scarlet in the light, were getting ready to leave the shipyards. They were just ready to leave as Exaz, three of her fellow rebels and Senator Teen came rushing in. As Teen headed for his personal yacht, the _Sullust Pride_, the rest all came aboard the _Justice_.

"Captain Argron, get us out of here." Exaz said happily.

He nodded, as she activated her comm.

"Code zero. Repeat, code zero."

That message told the Sullustans on the three Nebulon B frigates responsible for guarding this shipyard that it was time to take over. With that, the six ships left the shipyard.

Outside, it was a different story. No longer ignorant to what was going on, the sector commander had deployed fighters, and the two Star Destroyers responsible for the place were coming.

Exaz smiled as her good friend Argron piloted the ship away from the shipyard. The orbital cannons had been deactivated in a bribe, and now they were in the clear. Assuming they got to the edge of the planet's pull before the Star Destroyers caught up. She was quite pleased with herself. Five _Consular _cruisers, two Dreadnaughts, one fork like Liberator Cruiser, one Sorosuub Yacht and now that the commanders of the Nebulons had been removed, three of those frigates. Not a bad day all in all.

"Master Exaz! There's a fleet approaching from lightspeed!"

"Ah Master Monn."

The Jedi fleet dropped out of lightspeed as soon as she said it.

"Excellent timing!" she squeaked.

"We have no time Master Exaz. There's an Imperial fleet after us!"

"Master Ti?"

Just at that moment, the Imps arrived.

"Oh fiddlesticks!" Exaz cursed.

The fleet was very heavily armed, releasing fighters, and the defence forces were on their way.

"What's our next move Master Exaz?" Jehmit asked.

"Form up with Master Ti's fleet, and lets see if we cant make us ourselves a hole to escape from."

As soon as the ships were in position, they opened fire. The Imperials were taking no prisoners and let loose with a massive hail of turbolaser fire. The Jedi fleet was trapped in the area of the shipyard, with shots coming from all around. And then the defence platforms went on. The shipyards started to open fire as well, thoroughly trapping the Jedi in a kill zone.

"Not good!" Exaz yelled.

"Master Exaz, go. We will take them on." Said the sceptic from the bridge of one of the Dreadnaughts.

"No, my friend. We'll find a way out of this. Just bear with us."

"Exaz listen to me. I'm afraid we cant wait any longer. Joren and the fleet are getting closer. We must flee. Allow them their blaze of glory."

"But Master Ti, we're in this together! I cant abandon them to their fate!"

"Please Master Exaz. We will do this last thing for you. Go, and carry on the fight elsewhere. We'll hold them off enough for you to get away."

"But…"

"No. The decision has been made. May the Force be with you."

"And you my friend."

With that, they took the two Dreadnaughts towards the Imperial fleet.

"As soon as they make their move, we can jump." Jehmit said as turbolaser fire flared around them.

TIEs swept towards the Jedi fleet as they shot their way out of the shipyard and toward the jump point.

"How much heat is after you?" Exaz asked.

"A volcano's worth." Shaak Ti answered dryly.

The Jedi fleet was taking a lot of damage as they exited the zone, and then turned to watch as the Imps turned towards them. Then, it happened. The two Dreadnaughts, trapped in the tractor beams of two space stations, fired a barrage of missiles that they had no chance of stopping. As the stations blew apart, the Dreadnaughts pushed forward, and detonated right in the middle of the Imp fleet.

"Now!"

And with that the Jedi fleet fled.

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Vader cursed as the Dreadnaughts self destructed, talking with it a bunch of fighters and creating loads of debris.

"Onwards! We will pursue!" Joren crowed.

"General Joren, this is Lord Vader. Stop for now. Let us get clear of this debris and we will join you."

"No, we cannot waste any time! Onwards!"

With that, his fleet shot to lightspeed.

"Fool! Clear away this debris and let us follow him." Vader barked.

"Lord Vader, priority signal from the Emperor. He wishes you to return to Coruscant immediately." A tall woman, one of the few in the navy said.

"Blast him. Very well, lets return to Coruscant. Admiral Snake, Commander Carhac, follow Joren."

"We cant Lord Vader. We've been asked by the sector commander to put down the uprising." Snake reported.

"Fine. Carhac, put down this revolt, and Snake, follow Joren!"

"I'm afraid not sir. We're being reassigned by Central Command. We're going to the Corporate Sector."

"I'm countermanding those orders!"

"They come from the Emperor himself sir."

Vader took a deep, calming breath.

"Very well. We shall see how well Joren fairs. Carhac, put down those disgusting creatures and kill the commander. They've obviously been emboldened by the success at shipyard one. Snake, go to the Corporate Sector and see whats what. And I shall return to Coruscant for a word with our dear Master!"

"But Lord Vader, what about Shaak Ti?" the captain asked.

"She's Joren's problem now. Joren will finish her. It's just a pity I wont be there to see it."

"And General Joren himself?"

"AHH!"

Vader had had enough of stupid questions and sliced the man in half.

"I need a new captain!"

"There was no call for that." The woman said.

Vader glared at her, and she bowed her head.

"To answer his question, General Joren is on his own. However, it matters not. He is merely an instrument. Whether he lives or dies, he will help bring about the eradication of the Jedi."

**So, that was fun. Every time I think about that chapter, I think about Chicken Run when Mr Tweedy goes 'the chickens are revolting!' All these little people swarming their masters.**

**So, Vader needs a new captain (again), we have a new Jedi, a new part of the fleet and a bad guy on our tail (what's new?) **

**The troop transports are the red and white ships seen in Chapter 17 of the Clone Wars cartoon. Liberator cruisers appeared in Star Wars Supremacy, or Rebellion in the States, and look like a 2 pronged fork. But they can take on a Star Destroyer. The Consular cruisers are the red ships seen at the beginning of Episode I, and the Senators ship is the same sort of ship as Lando's Lady Luck in the books. **

**So, that's it for the moment. I'm going to write Harry and my two other stories, but this one will hopefully be updated soon.**

**Big battle next chapter! See you then. Please read and review!**

**Oh, and PS, that woman who was talking to Vader. Keep an eye on her. That's all I'm saying for now. Bye!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

20

The fleet dropped out of lightspeed for the twelfth time in four hours that day.

"Do you think they followed?" Shaak Ti asked.

She was still stuck on the _Integrity_ with Masters Monn and Justiss.

"I think that's a distinct possibility Master Ti." Kai said sadly.

"All craft, prepare for the next jump." She ordered.

Too late. Joren's fleet appeared from lightspeed and opened fire with it's turbolasers.

"Get out of here!"

The Jedi fleet hopped away again. Joren followed.

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On the deck of the _Imperial_-class Star Destroyer _Bloodbath_, General Joren grinned. The Jedi could flee all they wanted. They would always be right behind them.

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The Jedi fleet appeared once again in the middle of nowhere.

"Get ready to run." Master Ti ordered.

"All that will do is waste our fuel and lose morale. We cant keep that up!" Kai protested.

"Master Ti!" Voolvif Monn yelled.

"Joren!" K'kruhk yelled over the comm.

"Flee!" Shaak Ti yelled.

As they shot to lightspeed once again, she accepted the truth. With Joren dogging their retreat, they were eventually going to run out of places to run to. And that would be the end for all of them. They didn't stand a chance. Joren had them dead. Now it was just a matter of time.

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Joren smiled. Soon.

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Ventress, on the _Last Call_, grimaced. Joren wasn't going to let them go. They were finished.

"It's mad. We cant win. We may as well turn and go out in a blaze of glory." Alpha said.

"Blaze of glory…" Ventress began, then stopped.

"Alpha, you're a genius!"

She kissed him full on the lips and he blushed.

"We can."

"What?" Aidus asked.

"Win!"

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The Jedi fleet pulled out of lightspeed once again.

"Prepare for the next jump."

"Master Ti, we're all tired. We cant keep this up!" Syron shouted.

"I know! We need to get somewhere that we can lose him!"

"Master Ti-" Ventress interjected.

"Not now dear! What is nearby that we can lose him in?"

"The Cauldron Nebula." Fido, Voolvif's clone commander said.

"Then set your course for there."

Then Joren dropped out of lightspeed, guns blazing. Laser blasts hit the back of some of the cruisers and they once again fled to lightspeed.

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They dropped out of lightspeed early.

"Drop all debris and garbage. That will maybe slow them a little bit." Voolvif ordered.

"Yes sir!"

"Master Ti!" Ventress shouted.

"Shush dear!"

"But…"

"All garbage is gone." Kai reported.

"Go to lightspeed!"

Just they jumped, Joren arrived.

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The debris crashed into the shields, and knocked a few ships out of commission as it hit them, disabling them as it hit sensitive areas.

"Blast! Get those ships back on line now! We must pursue!"

"Sir, it will take about forty minutes for the ships to restart."

"Then get on with it! Shaak Ti must not escape!"

"Yes sir!"

Joren grinned evilly.

"I don't intend to let her escape me again."

The chase was coming to an end.

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The fleet arrived at the Cauldron Nebula. The blue gaseous cloud was jamming sensors a little. They could finally escape.

"Master Ti, the fleet is exhausted! We cant keep running!" Ackdara barked.

"I know! Take us into the nebula. Then we will study our next move." Shaak Ti said.

"Morale is rock bottom. Being preyed upon by Joren all the time for the last two days had exhausted us." Voolvif said.

"I know. But we don't have any choice."

"Master Ti!" Ventress yelled down the comm.

"What!?"

"We can fight!"

"What?"

"We have him outnumbered and outgunned. We can take on his fleet and win!"

Shaak Ti looked at the data package the Jedi killer sent. And she saw that she was right.

"Dear heart, you're a genius."

"I do try."

"Turn us around." She ordered.

"What?" Ackdara demanded.

"I said turn us around!"

She took a deep breath.

"And have everyone meet me on the _Liberty _in five minutes."

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They were there in the appointed time.

"We don't have much time. We have half an hour at the most. We must prepare for battle." Shaak Ti said.

"I agree. Now we fight, and see how they like it." Ackdara said.

"Ackdara, you're our most senior military commander. You have the fleet."

"Very well."

"Captain Argron, I wish for you to take the next part of the fleet." Shaak Ti said.

"I would be honoured."

"And Master Monn, you are the only other one with fleet knowledge. You will lead the third section of the fleet."

"As you wish."

"The plan doesn't have time to be highly complicated. We will fight to the best of our abilities." Ackdara said.

"Meaning?" Tholme asked.

"The fighters and cruisers will fight head to head."

"The simple plans are always the best."

"Master Choi, would you consent to lead one wing of fighters?" Shaak Ti asked.

"Indeed. And may I suggest Ventress to lead the second? She has such experience."

Shaak Ti looked at the pale Dark Jedi.

"So be it. You will both command our fighter attack."

Voolvif raised a hand.

"Master Justiss has always commanded my fighters when we have been involved in such battles. He would be a great asset."

"Very well. Master Justiss, will you fly a ship?"

"Be happy too."

"Good man.Anyone else?"

"Commander Fido has been my wingman through many adventures. I would be honoured to have him with me again." Kai said.

"Very well."

"I have a fair amount of air time. I'll fly a fighter if you want." Dyren said.

"So will I." Quasal added.

"As you wish. Anyone else?" Shaak Ti asked.

No one answered.

"Very well."

"I fly _Inferno_." Vilmarh said.

"We'll all be on the _Uhumele_." Crys said.

"We'll be on the _Blade_." Syron added.

"And I'll fly the _Skorp-Ion_." Khaleen said.

"I shall fly my ship." Tusk said.

"That's settled then. What next?" Tsui asked.

"I am quite adept at battle meditation. I could use that to our advantage." Exaz said happily.

"And I have been developing my own skills. I shall aid Master Exaz." K'kruhk said.

"I can do a little bit. I'll do that if you want." Whie said, and Shaak Ti nodded.

"I shall command the fleet, Captain Argron will take over if I die, then Captain Quan and then Captain Kryn. After that, I doubt many more of us will be alive anyway. If we aren't commanding, we will command our own ships." Ackdara said, and all the captains nodded in agreement.

"I'm staying on the _Uhumele_. I'll be a gunner." Dass said.

"And I shall serve as gunner on the _Skorp-Ion_." Tholme said.

And I on the _Inferno_! Chak exclaimed.

"I want to fight!" Zett said, while Senna agreed.

"No! Please young one. Humour me this once. Stay and act as a gunner on the _Silver Blade_. Please." Shaak Ti implored them.

They didn't look happy, but agreed.

"Fine."

"Thank you."

"The enemy will be trying to take out the ships that present the biggest threat. They'll be sending landing parties. And spacetroopers." Ackdara warned.

We will deal with the troopers. Tarrful promised.

"Ok. But the boarding parties…"

"Which ships are at most risk?" Bultar asked.

"The ones that can directly threaten a Star Destroyer. In other words, the Mon Cal cruisers, the Mon Cal frigates, the Wookiee Cruiser, the _Last Call_, the new Liberator Cruiser, the _Integrity_, and because of it being the ship Master Ti is known to travel on, the _Silver Blade_." Ackdara said.

"We wont be able to protect them all." Argron said.

"We'll do what we can."

"I'll stay on the _Silver Blade_." Scout said.

"I'll take the _Liberty_." Tra said.

"And I the _Millionaire_." Luminara decided.

"I'll take the _Infuriator_." Dark Woman said.

"And uh, I think uh, I'll defend the uh, the…, the _Freedom_." Deas, the thick one said.

"I will stay on the _Liberty_." Meena said.

"And I aint leaving the _Last Call_." Aidus said.

"I'll defend the _Integrity_." Alpha declared.

"And I'll be on the _Zaalbar_." Dice, Luminara's clone commander said.

"I shall command from the _Interest_." Wat Tambor said.

"And I shall advise on the _Millionaire_." Tikkes said stoutly.

"What about the rest of us?" Jeisel asked.

"It seems to me that we could, what's the phrase, permanently borrow one of the Imp ships." Bultar said evilly.

"Boarding parties? If they can do it why not us?" Serra asked.

"Fair enough. The rest of you, take shuttles and try to board enemy cruisers. If we can take a couple, so be it." Shaak Ti said.

"I'll try to take the _Knight_." Spark, Kai's clone commander said.

"A Dreadnaught is a valuable weapon I suppose. What else?" Argron asked.

"If we cant stop them from escaping, then it's all a big dangerous waste of time. I'll take on the _Sucker_." Serra said.

If they could take an Interdictor, they could stop the enemy from retreating, and that would be to their advantage.

"I'll try to take the other one then. The _Plughole_." Quin said.

"A VSD can take a chunk out of an ISD. Bultar and I will take the _Senatorial_." Jeisel said, to Bultar's nodding.

"Shouldn't we try to take the _Bloodbath_?" Voolvif asked.

"Too risky. No, that goes down. We destroy it, and Joren with it." Ackdara said, her wide eyes going further to show how mad she was.

"In that case we'll take the other VSD, the _Imperial_." Kota said, indicating Mariss as well.

"That leaves me with the _Gallant_." A'sharad said.

"And if all are agreeable, I shall coordinate the battle from the _Silver Blade_. Right, we all have jobs to do. Get to them!" Shaak Ti said.

And with that the meeting broke up, and they prepared for war.

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Though their fleet was meant to have fifty fighter squadrons, they didn't have the full number. The ships from Sullust had no fighter squadrons at all, so they were down at least twelve. And Voolvif Monn's fleet had had a few squabbles with Imperials, and had lost two of their eight and two third squadrons. Thus, they had a small problem of being down to thirty six fighter squadrons. While they outnumbered the Imperial forces fighters, they were better trained. They had to hope that the Force was with them. Everyone was in position, either on a cruiser, ready to direct or use meditation, or ready to defend, in a fighter, ready to fight, on a shuttle waiting for launch, or in a suit waiting for battle. The tension was mounting as they waited for Joren to arrive. Then, his fleet arrived.

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One ISD. Two VSDs. Two Interdictors. Five Strike Cruisers and three Dreadnaughts. That was Jorens fleet.

Shaak Ti grinned. Ventress was right. They could defeat them. They had one Corellian Corvette. They had three Mon Cal cruisers. Four Mon Cal Frigates. Six Carrack Cruisers. One Wookiee Cruiser. Two Wookiee Frigates. Twelve Dungeon Ships. One Providence. Two Recusants. Two Munificents. Six freighters. One Rocketship. Two Dreadnaughts. One Venator. Two Accumulators. Three Nebulons. Five Consulars. And one Liberator.

"Launch all fighter squadrons." Shaak Ti ordered.

"May the Force be with us." Ackdara said.

And with that, the Battle of the Cauldron Nebula began.

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The fighters spilled out from the holds as the Imp fleet arrived.

"All craft, lock s-foils into attack position." Tsui ordered.

"All wings report in." Ventress said.

"Red wing standing by." Kai answered.

"Blue wing standing by." Quasal reported.

"Green wing standing by." Dyren said.

"Here goes nothing." Ventress said.

"This is Ackdara. All heavy cruisers are to engage the Star Destroyers head on. The small ships are to launch runs on the smaller support ships. Red Wing, you are to attack the fighters and cruisers. Blue Wing, defend the cruisers and Green Wing escort the shuttles to their locations. The dungeon ships are to precede all forces to take some fire away from us. May the Force be with us all."

"You heard the lady. Let's go." Ventress said.

And with that, she gunned the engine of her Fantail fighter and led the charge against the enemy.

The two fighter force clashed in space as the Imperial TIE fighters sped at the mismatched fighter forces of the Jedi. Ventress span her ship and blasted two out of space with a well placed shot. Beside her, Tsui decelerated and fired a torpedo from his Delta 7 into the head Tie. The missile punched right through and sent the TIE screaming off at an angle where it was incinerated by blaster fire. The space around them was a maelstrom of laser fire as the fleets came to blows against each other.

"Squadrons One through Five, focus on taking the TIEs away from the fleet." Tsui ordered.

"Bit late for that Master Choi." Ventress said.

Three fighter squadrons had slipped through Red Wing's defences and were now heading on a straight heading for the _Liberty_.

"Master Justiss, guests are coming for tea." Tsui said.

"My thanks Master Choi. Blue Wing, we have guests. Let's make them all feel welcome."

Kai took his wing to challenge the newcomers directly. Blaster fire poured from the Jedi fighters, ripping apart the TIEs before they could even get off a shot at the Mon Cal cruiser they were defending.

"Masters, be advised. Joren's cranking out TIE Bombers." Dyren reported.

"We'll sink them." Tsui said.

The fighters then shot back into the fight as the TIEs upped their game.

"All forces, this is Shaak Ti. Enemy are releasing shuttles. Prepare to intercept Green Wing."

"Acknowledged Master Ti." Quasal said.

"Master Choi? Our next move?"

"I think my dear its time we show the enemy cruisers what we're made of. Let's head for the big ships."

"With pleasure."

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In a battle, all is chaos. Events can be decided by one single action, a single moment. K'kruhk knew this. And he had now seen an area where something would be decided. He stretched out with his feelings and found Master Ti.

"Master Ti, be advised. There is a hole in the defence of the _Lord_. We may take advantage of it."

"Thank you dear."

Shaak Ti grinned. There was indeed a hole in the defence of the _Lord_, which was one of the five Strike Cruisers.

"The cruisers aren't in range yet. They're nearly there, but if we hold on, we might lose it." Syron said worriedly.

Shaak Ti looked out at the battle. The dungeon ships were doing a good job for the most part of keeping the main bulk of the fleet safe from harm. They would soon be able to fight the Imperials head on. Until then, they had to rely on luck.

"Well then dear boy, I fear it's up to us. Master Choi, could you join us with a squadron or two please?"

"Of course."

Two fighter squadrons, a mash up of ARCs, Torrents, V-Wings and Tri-Fighters formed up on their wing. Theirs was the only cruiser not part of the main attack force, as Corvettes added little to a fight usually. However, this one was not usual. As well as it's normal armament, it had three turbolaser wheel turrets and two missile launchers mounted at the front of the ship. The ship catapulted along the edge of the enemy fleet and came up behind them, right beside the _Lord_.

"Tsui?"

"Certainly. Fire on my signal, then on my second. Fire!"

Missiles streaked away from the attack force and into the Strike Cruiser. Fire blossomed all over the shields as along with their missile assault they unleashed laser fire as well. Fire chewed away at the shields of the ship as it belatedly opened fire, realising that it was under attack. But now it was far too late. The second wave of missiles and lasers crashed into the cruiser, blowing huge portions of it open to space. Fire and fuel poured from the breach along the sting shaped ship. Bodies were thrown out of the massive hole they had just created. Then, with a final burst of flame, the _Lord _exploded.

"Excellent! Our first victory." Shaak Ti said happily.

"We must have overloaded the reactor." Vella said to herself.

"Does it matter? It's dead. Best thing for it." Teecee said.

"This is Shaak Ti. We've given them a sting. Time to send in the diseases."

She smiled. Time for the next stage.

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"Sir, we just lost the _Lord_!" someone yelled from the crewpit.

Joren growled. He could see the wreckage of the Strike Cruiser slowly turning towards them.

"That's it. How long until the enemy cruisers are in range?"

"The dungeon ships are already in range, but that iron's thick. It'll take ages to blow through it."

"Sir, they're breaking off!" another man yelled.

The dungeon ships split away from the ships they were shielding and started to fire at the ships at the edge of the Imperial formation.

"The Jedi capital ships are in range sir!"

"Fire when ready commander."

With that the Imperial cruisers took the Jedi cruisers head on, turbolaser blasts firing back and forth between the two forces as the smaller and nimbler capital ships sped towards each other.

"Sir, they're launching shuttles!"

"Get troops down to all hangars in case they get through. Time to deploy the spacetroopers and our own shuttles!"

Joren snarled as they carried out his orders. He knew they were outnumbered. But he would fight anyway.

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The shuttles left the bays of the cruisers where they were housed.

"Green Wing, you're on. Get those shuttles where they're going." Argron ordered.

"Roger that." Quasal said.

Inside the _Last Call_, Bultar Swan and Jeisel were on board a CR20 filled with clones, droids, Wookiees, Sullustans and Tusken Raiders.

Their duty was to take control of the _Victory _class Star Destroyer _Senatorial_.

"Here we go." Bultar said as the ship left the hangar.

Outside the cruiser, blasterfire criss-crossed all over space. Missiles and mines that were being deployed by the Wookiee space troopers were destroying the TIE fighters, however there were still enough to cause significant bother for Tsui's forces. The ship was buffeted as a TIE Fighter came in firing, however Quasal pulled up and ripped it apart with a well placed shot.

"Thanks." Jeisel said.

"No problem. But you have one problem."

"What?"

"The _Senatorial_ is in direct combat with the _Tyvokka _and the _Freyrr_. While all well and good, this doesn't not help you get into the ship."

Bultar frowned as she looked out at the battle between the two Wookiee frigates and the Victory.

"We'll manage. We need an escort. Gun it!"

"Yes mam!" A Sullustan yelled.

The ship shot towards the Star Destroyer. Outside, the scene was chaos as the two fleets clashed. The two frigates were trying their best to wipe out the Vic's shields, however it was putting up a splendid fight. Beside them, the ImpStar was firing a lethal barrage at the two Mon Cal cruisers belonging to Meena Tills. The other ships capable of killing a Star Destroyer were moving into position. Meanwhile, at the edge of the fleet, the five Consulars were engaging a Dreadnaught head on, backed up by the freighters. The three Nebulons were fighting the Strike Cruisers to the best of their ability, scattering the remaining four away from each other. The ship was getting close to the Vic, close enough to see the barrages of missiles and turbolasers the ships were firing at each other. However, the ship managed to slip through the lasers and finally made it to the enemy hangar.

"We're in." Jeisel grinned.

"Clones outside." Bultar stated.

"Let's go and meet them."

Receiving a nod from the troops, she opened the doors just as the shuttle landed on the deck. Leaping out, she decapitated one troop with one swift strike. Bultar deflected bolts from the clones as she rushed out of the ship, heading towards the hangar door. The troops swarmed out, firing as they came. Clones fell as they proceeded to the hangar door. Wookiees rushed at them, throwing clones away from them as they burst into the first corridor.

"Seal the hangar!" Jeisel ordered.

The doors slammed shut and she grinned. They were in.

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On board the _Integrity_, three Jedi sat. One was the small Sullustan Jedi Master Exaz. The second was the Whipid Jedi K'kruhk. The third was the young Padawan Whie. They were deep in battle meditation, aiding their side as the war raged around them. Outside the bridge of the Star Destroyer, the _Plughole _was exchanging salvos with them. At the far end of the bridge, Master Voolvif Monn was creating order out of chaos.

"Inform Master Vos that if he gets his shuttle out of the hangar now, its only a short trip to the _Plughole_." He ordered.

"Yes sir!"

Voolvif was very pleased that the clones aboard his cruiser had not executed Order 66. He was very fond of most of them, and the normal bridge crew were also very good friends. This battle was going quite well. Things could only get better.

At the back of the bridge, Whie suddenly gasped.

"Whie dear?" Exaz asked.

"Scout." He said breathlessly.

"No, you're Whie." Exaz said, as though worried for his sanity.

"She's hurt."

And with that he leapt up and left the bridge.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going? Now is not the time for a toilet break!"

K'kruhk chuckled.

"I don't think that's where hes going my friend."

She caught his meaning.

"And there's even less time to do that! Stars, by the time you get her…"

K'kruhk's hand then smothered her mouth.

"Totally inappropriate Master Exaz! Now, be quiet and let us go back to our meditation. We are more than adequate."

"Oh very well."

Exaz grinned as a song sprang to mind; 'Love is in the air….'

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Shaak Ti grimaced as another fighter shot at the ship. They were being chewed by laser fire, and it was getting old. Outside she could see the Wookiee spacetroopers fighting with the attacking Imp spacetroopers. Fighters clashed outside, and she watched as Dyren flamed another TIE.

"If we stay out here much longer, we'll get pulverised." Teecee said blankly.

"Take us into the enemy fleet." Shaak Ti said.

"Are you space happy? We cant stand up to the guns of the _Bloodbath_!" Syron yelled.

"I'm not asking you to go near the ISD, or the VSDs. I want you to take us to the outskirts of the fleet, so we only need to deal with Dreadnaughts and Strike Cruisers."

"Bloody mad woman!" Syron complained, but complied.

As he took the ship towards the enemy fleet, a flaming ball of wreckage just missed the bridge.

"For Force sake! Zett! Senna! Shoot the bloody things a bit earlier please before you wind up killing us!" Shaak Ti yelled.

"Sorry!" Zett shouted meekly, however Softy let loose a massive roar.

"You can shoot them whenever you want dear!"

Syron grinned.

"Coward. Even the great Jedi Master cowers before a Wookiee."

Shaak Ti grinned feebly.

"You obviously never knew Master Tyvokka."

They were in the midst of the battle, and lasers, missiles and flaming wrecks shot past on all sides. Then, that's when the Imps launched their shuttles.

"Not good!" Vella shouted.

"How many shuttles are there?" Syron asked.

"Remember, this fleet is designed to conquer an entire star system. There are a lot of troops in this fleet." Teecee said.

The mini fleet of shuttles shot away from their home cruisers and dispersed throughout the Jedi fleet. Two shot right past the window.

"Sithspit! Can they get any closer?" Vella demanded.

There was then a sudden bang, and the entire ship rocked.

"What the devil?" Shaak Ti asked.

"Turbolaser shot from the _Bloodbath_. I told you we would get into trouble going through the fleet!"

"Then get us to the smaller ships!"

Syron bitterly grumbled. Shaak Ti frowned. Something wasn't right.

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Scout winced as the docking hatch of the _Silver Blade_ was blown open and stormtroopers rushed in, their blasters firing. The squad of fifteen men she had were no longer beside her. Eight of them had been killed by the shrapnel that had flown from the explosion. The other six were getting ready to fire. It was then that the clones entered the ship. Fifty four clones against one weak Jedi padawan and six troops. The troops were then dropped by fire, and Scout was alone. Well, she wasn't going to let them further into the ship. Igniting her blue saber, she sprang at them. She sliced two in half, then turned around to decapitate another. Blaster fire flew at her, and she was on the move, deflecting as she went. Six were dropped as her saber sent their bolts flying right back at them. She then jumped onto the head of one, making his companions shoot at him rather than her. She then Force pushed the body into four more, removing them temporarily. She threw her saber, slicing down three. As she did so, she leapt over the heads, breaking ones neck as she went. Landing she took the legs out from under several, and called her spinning blade towards her. Four men were cut down as they failed to avoid her blade. She danced out of the way of another bolt, and sliced the belt of one troop. She sliced the detonator. Using the Force, she directed the fire as it consumed its owner and incinerated four more. She Force pushed another group, and quickly turned to return blaster bolts back to their owners. Three more dropped down as she did so, then she felt someone grab her leg.

"Scum!"

She kicked him so hard his neck snapped. She then dashed into the landing craft, beckoning for them to follow. They heeded, and she had them. As they rushed in, she sliced one of the fuel canisters, spilling it onto the floor. The troops began to retreat, but quickly enough. She smiled as she summoned a blaster and fired at the fuel. Eight were cremated as the flames went up. Using the Force, she cut a hole in the flames and dashed through. The clones were running for the midparts of the ship. She once again threw her saber, slicing five more down. They turned to see her growling at them. Then they came at her. Fourteen left. They rushed towards her, making a very bad mistake. Using the Force to augment her leap, she sprang at them, her blade slicing three more down, and then turning around to kill two more. Nine left. Now they were really mad. Blaster fire scorched the corridor, and Scout skidded along the floor to avoid it. She came up and killed three more by deflecting their shots. She then leapt over their heads, summoning a blaster to her hand as she did. Then, two weapons in her hands, she went at it. Using her blaster she took down two, and with her saber she killed three. One left, but where was he? Her question was answered as a blaster bolt slammed into her stomach. Her weapons flew out of her hand and she crashed to the ground, screaming in pain.

"I'm gonna to enjoy killin you Jedi." He snarled.

"I'm sure."

He raised his blaster, but he had drawn out the kill too long. He heard a hum, and turned just in time to get his head sliced off by her lightsaber. Then Scout passed out, the ship secure.

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"Form up Scoundrel Wing." Khaleen ordered.

"Hokay!" Vilmarh responded.

The _Uhumele_, _Skorp-Ion _and _Inferno _zig-zagged in between the fire being exchanged by the fleets. They had one target: the _King_, another one of the Strike Cruisers.

"Khaleen, we cant get too close or they'll cook us!" Tholme said from the gun emplacement.

"I know that, but that cruiser is nearly in range of the _Vanguard_. Considering what we went through to get all these cruisers, I'm not going to let something blow it apart old man!"

"Calm yourself! I'm only pointing out the obvious!"

"Vilmarh, we must be careful. My circuits cant handle another beating like on Kashyyyk." NT, the _Inferno_'s droid said.

"Shaddup!"

The three ships were nearly in range.

Fire! Chak yelled happily.

Laser bolts bounced of the shield's of the cruiser as the three turned around for another pass.

"_Uhumele_, some artillery if you please." Khaleen said.

"With pleasure." Schurk-Heren said.

A barrage of missiles left the ship, slamming into the Strike Cruiser. This was then followed by the other two ships firing their own missiles, right on top of the shield generator. Overloaded, the shields fell.

"_Vanguard_, we have the shields of the _King _down! Finish the job!" Dass said from the turret of the _Uhumele_.

"Negative. Still out of range. You get to finish it yourself."

"Fair enough."

The three ships turned around so they were heading right towards the nose of the ship.

"Bombs away!" Tholme shouted gleefully.

The missiles punctured right through the bridge's viewport, emitting a large flame as the insides of the ship caught fire. Damaged it began to list top the side. However, more holes with flame emitting were appearing. The design of the Strike Cruiser made it weak to smaller attacks. Holes were blown open all through the ship. Finally, with one last flare, it exploded.

"Bye bye!" Vilmarh shouted.

Khaleen grinned. What next?

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Joren snarled. That was two cruisers that he had lost.

"Sir?"

"Hit them with everything we've got!"

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Quin grinned as his forces stormed into the _Plughole_. His forces had caught the guards completely by surprise, and now they needed to head for the bridge.

"Come on." He ordered.

He led the way into the corridor.

"Where are they all?" a clone asked.

"Don't know."

"Sir!"

Quin swore as the stormtroopers leapt from around the corner. They were hundreds of them.

"Master Vos! What do we do?"

"Back to the shuttle!"

The men were falling under a hail of blasterfire as they were forced back into the hangar.

"What do we do Master Vos?"

Quin frowned. It was obvious that they would never be able to take the ship with all the clones shooting at them.

"If we cant have it, they cant have it either. Set your charges folks!"

Several of the group peeled off as the rest of the forces defended the entrance to their shuttle. Clones were pouring laser fire at them in an attempt to stop them from fleeing. As they pushed further into the hangar, Quin grinned as he watched his men lay their charges at the foot of the missile racks. Hundreds of proton torpedoes waiting to be loaded. And they would seen learn not to leave their toys lying around.

"All charges attached sir!"

The troops were still firing at the clones, who were edging ever closer to the shuttle.

"Everyone on board!"

With a massive effort, he used a Force push that sent the missile rack hurtling down the corridor towards where the main reactor was housed. Like the Lucrehulk cruisers, the reactors were right beside the hangars. Giving them all they needed.

"Get us out of here!" Quin yelled as he leapt aboard.

The missile rack came to a deafening halt and slid right into the main reactor. As the cruiser's hangar doors began to close, the pilot gunned the engines.

With one last burst of speed they shot out of the hangar.

"Move all forces away from the _Plughole_." Quin ordered.

The Jedi forces all broke off, and the lead commando pressed his remote. A massive explosion happened in the middle of the ship, emitting flame from a band across the centre. With one last explosion, the Interdictor was ripped in half as the main reactor was obliterated by the exploding missiles.

"Mission sort of accomplished." Quin said.

"Quin, wasn't the idea to take the _Plughole_?" Tra asked.

"Things escalated, so I denied them the use of it too."

"That's my boy!" Tholme said cheerily.

With that the shuttle headed into the throng.

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Ackdara watched as the Interdictor cruiser broke apart. Excellent.

"This is Ackdara. All forces, move into the breach!"

With Argron taking the lead, the Jedi forces plunged into the hole caused by the death of the cruiser. They may win this yet.

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In the midst of the battle, a fight was being waged between the Wookiee spacetroopers and the Imperial spacetroopers. Tarrful shot another one through the head and looked around. His troops were flying through space, firing at the enemy troopers that were either trying to board their cruisers or worse firing at their fighters.

Tarrful! Jaccoba, the Wookiee who found the invasion force back on Kashyyyk roared.

What?

The _Damsel_'s shields are down! Gumbaeki called.

Tarrful grinned.

Arm your mines!

Using their jets, the Wookiees headed toward the Strike Cruiser. Fighters were firing all around them, and the cruisers were exchanging devastating barrages. And Tarrful was sure that inside the ships, the various landing parties were fighting onward. The Wookiees clambered across the cruiser as they reached it, laying their mines randomly. It may not kill it, but it should leave a mark. Tarrful crawled to the foot of the bridge, and watched in amusement as a TIE pilot saw them all and cursed at the fact that he couldn't hit them without hitting the cruiser. Tarrful planted his last mine, then sent the signal. As one, the Wookiees sprang off the hull of the cruiser, and then they all took great enjoyment in pressing the button. And then to their great astonishment, massive flame clouds erupted from the ship as it was cracked open by their mines. The Strike Cruiser died it's fiery death, and Tsui waved at them in thanks as he shot past in his fighter.

Tarrful grinned. This was fun.

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Joren cursed as his third Strike Cruiser died.

"Sir, we cant hold out for much longer. The Nebulons are moving into the breach and are coming right for us!"

"We can take them."

"Yes sir, but those Judicials are coming too, and if they fire their missiles, they will cause a lot of problems."

"Then shoot them down! A military man does not retreat!"

The man sighed and went back to his station. This was not going well., But he would live long enough to see Shaak Ti turned to dust.

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Captain Qual of the Nebulon B frigate _Spectrum_ smiled as they broke apart another Strike Cruiser. If they could only remove on of the VSDs that had taken up a defensive position in front of the _Bloodbath_, the heavy cruisers would be able to pummel the ISD out of existence. The Selkath pondered, then decided.

"All power to shields. We will weather whatever the VSDs hit us with and we will take the _Bloodbath _head on."

The crew cheered. Smiling, he got ready for war.

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The _Uhumele _shuddered as the shuttle docked forcibly with it. Resa was the only one beside the docking hatch, as both Ko Vakier and Mezgraf had went to attend to a small fire. Then the hatch blew open, and the stormtroopers rushed in. Thankfully they weren't far away. They opened fire, but the wicked little Nosaurian was in them, slicing apart three men's stomachs with her blade. Then Mezgraf and Ko Vakier arrived, their own blades cutting down two each.

"To the hatch! We are boarded!" Ko Vakier yelled.

Resa grinned. Being down here slicing up Imps was much more satisfying than shooting them up in the gunwell. Suddenly, Dass appeared his lightsaber slicing the heads off three of them. Ratty then appeared with Jank in tow, blasters firing. More clones were dropped as the crew launched into a violent attack.

"For Bomo!" Dass yelled.

Sniffles, Crys and Schurk-Heren then appeared, shooting as well. The clones didn't stand a chance as Resa and Dass carved up their enemies from inside their own squadron. Resa sprang up onto one and dug her blade into his neck and he dropped down. She then sliced two more down.

"For my father!" she yelled.

Dass placed a hand on her shoulder.

"They're all dead Resa."

Resa grinned.

"Your father would be proud of you." Crys smiled.

"Hey if you're down here, who's flying the ship?" Dass asked.

"Oh! Good point that!" Schurk-Heren exclaimed.

Resa grinned. This was her new family. And she liked it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Aboard the _Millionaire_, the fighting was fierce. Luminara sliced into he opponents with vigour, but they still didn't stand a chance. She grimaced as troops spilled from the three shuttles that had landed in the cruiser's hangar. They didn't have a chance. She sprang into the fray, heads coming off as she wove her blade around her in a tapestry of light. The defending troops had taken defensive positions and were firing pot-shots, but that wouldn't stop the troops. Unless…

Grinning, she leapt towards one of the ships. She landed right beside the fuel cells, and raised her blade. The clones turned to face her and she shook her head in warning. They ignored her, and she acted. Leaping at the same time as she deflected the shot, she shot away from the shuttle. As the bolt hit the ship and blew apart the shuttle. Clones were blown all over the place as the fire roared outwards. Luminara landed in front of the defenders and led them in the charge against their depleted enemy.

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Captain Kryn of the _Millionaire_, a Shistaven, looked at his boss, Tikkes, the corrupt Senator. The man, meant to be an advisor, had done nothing.

"Sir, we have to clear these VSDs if we are to engage General Joren. And Captain Qual's attacking the ISD head on!" his ensign said.

Kryn turned to the man.

"We do what we can. And we can only fire potshots until we're sure the Jedi are in charge of the VSDs."

Tikkes suddenly stirred.

"Captain, may I suggest you call for reinforcements?"

Kryn bared his teeth. The squid had better not be wasting his time.

"Why would I do that Senator?"

"Because a spacetrooper has escaped the Wookiees!" Tikkes yelled gesturing.

Kryn turned to the viewport to see the trooper aiming. In spite of this, he felt his respect for Tikkes rising.

"This is the captain! Get a security team to the bridge now!" he yelled into the comm.

"They cant sir! Master Unduli has all the forces in the hangar, and they are occupied!"

It was too late as a missile blasted apart the bridge viewport of the Mon Cal cruiser. As the air rushed around them, the crewmen started firing with their hand blasters. Their shots bounced off the durable armour, and then it became apparent what was going on. He was trying to kill the captain. Using his jetpack, he ducked Kryn's swipe with his claws and heaved the Shistaven off the ground and began to squeeze. He was about to kill him, too late for the crew to get a shot, when a blaster bolt punched through the troopers helmet and dropped him to the ground. Kryn took a deep breath and looked up at his rescuer. Tikkes was standing there, furious, his blaster smoking.

"There. Shot the bastard."

"Thank you Senator."

The emergency screen had come across and they were safe from vacuum. Now, back to the battle.

"You are quite welcome captain. And there's a rather nice set of five shuttles coming our way."

Kryn smiled genuinely at his boss.

"Thanks boss. You heard the man. To put it his way 'shoot the bastards'."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tusk Teen grimaced as his poor yacht took another hit from the pursuing ships. Three TIEs were following. Time to change that. He reversed his ship and they shot over him. Smiling the Sullustan Senator opened fire with his laser cannons, blowing them apart. Then he saw two shuttles slowly edging around the edge of the battle and heading for the back of the fleet. Looking, Tusk saw that they were trying to board the _Infuriator_, the Liberator Cruiser from behind. That wasn't very nice. Gunning his engines he sped straight at them. The two shuttles opened fire, as did he. Their shields were weaker, but his had sustained more damage. The shuttles, sensing this weakness, fired missiles.

"Oh God no!"

Pulling the ship up, Tusk did a loop the loop, catching them completely by surprise. By the time they realised what he had done, it was too late, and he had fired two missiles. They crashed through the cockpits of the shuttles and exploded. Smiling, Tusk wheeled back towards the fight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fido, the clone pilot who had come with Voolvif Monn, span his Naboo Starfighter around as he danced through the battlefield. Laser fire was flashing from everywhere now as fighters, cruisers, troopers and boarders tried to defeat their enemies. He fired at two moiré enemy fighters, wiping them out. However, it was obvious that the enemy was now outnumbered and outgunned. He blasted apart another ship and saw something: the _Bloodbath_'s shields were flickering at the engines. If they took out the engines, they could take the Star Destroyer. He shot toward the ship, avoiding the blaster fire from five incoming TIEs and preparing to take down the first engine. The shied flickered out of existence, and he fired. Two missiles crashed into the engine and Fido smiled. But he was on course for too long. The TIEs opened fire, and he screamed. His ship shot towards the starship and crashed into the engine.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meena Tills fired as the clones stormed into the hangar of the _Liberty._ Beside him, Tra Saa was deflecting fire.

"We cant keep this up Master Saa!" he yelled.

"I can see that!"

She paused, then smiled.

"Got it."

She turned to him, smiling.

"Fancy a flight?"

"Eh?"

After explaining her plan, she seized him with the Force, and threw him across the room. As the rest of the defenders fired at the clones, Meena opened fire from above. Clones were dropped and Meena smiled. When he went above the shuttles, he popped his detonator. Throwing it down, it exploded, taking the two shuttles with it. He then fell from the air as Tra leapt into the fray.

Her green blade was swinging around her as she attacked the dazed clones. Put off by the destruction of the shuttles, they had lost their focus, making it that much easier to defeat them.

Eventually, all the boarders lay dead, and Meena Tills was yelling at Tra.

"You bloody dropped me!"

"I wasn't meant to." Tra said, though she was fighting a smile.

He tisked and stomped off. Tra grinned. They had done their part. Now it was someone else's turn.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A'sharad sliced through the stormtroopers standing in the way of the lift door as his squad stormed into the command corridor. They had fought up from the hangar of the _Gallant_, one of the remaining Strike Cruisers. His assault squad had all split off, leaving the Jedi with a group of crack operatives to secure the cruiser. Clones took up defensive positions outside the bridge as A'sharad rushed in with his troops, deflecting blasterfire as he went. He then leapt into the centre of the formation and sliced apart his enemies. He then started cutting into the door. He heard the last few clones take up defensive positions.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yes sir!"

"Knock knock!"

The chunk of door blasted in, flattening three troopers. The remainder opened fire, but it was too late to stop them. He sprang in and his sabers sliced into the defenders as they tried to stop the rush of boarders. It was far too late. Pointing his blades at the captain, A'sharad watched as his men rounded the men up and held them against the wall. Then with a couple of commands, the rest of the Imps were cut off from their stations and they had control of the ship.

"Gentlemen, the ship is ours." A'sharad reported.

People cheered happily.

"Right, let's shoot something!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Spark, a clone commander shot down the trooper blocking the lift.

"We take this up to the command level, and that will wipe out all the Strike Cruisers." his deputy said.

"Good. Let's go."

The five men entered the lift and hit the button. They were headed for the bridge, to take the _Knight _from the Imps. They were halfway there when the lift jerked to a stop.

"Oh oh."

"Well don't just stand there. Open the hatch and lets get out of here."

A minute layer the five clones were outside and standing on the lift. However, they had a major problem in the fact that several lifts were coming to their level, with clones on all of them.

"Sir, what do we do?"

"Shoot them."

"But sir, they're our brothers!"

"And now we're divided by loyalty. That's the way things go in this galaxy brother. Things aren't fair. Fire at will."

The lift shaft filled with blaster fire as they opened fire on the clones who were trying to stop them in their mission. As men toppled, the assault team leapt across to the next lift and upwards. They rained fire down on their opponents as the lift rose. It suddenly screeched to a stop then started to plummet downwards.

"Damn."

They fired grappling hooks and pulled themselves upwards. Meanwhile the other clones opened fire and tried to cut them down. One poor man met his end as a laser bolt sliced his rope. The rest then opened fire with their hand blasters, shooting their attackers. They pulled themselves to the entry to the command corridor, planted a shaped charge, then dipped down a bit to wait for it to blow. As it did they shot up, entering the corridor, then throwing down a couple of grenades that blew apart several of their opponents.

They rushed into the corridor their rifles blazing as enemy clones dropped to the floor. Aiming his wrist launcher, Spark fired a rocket at the clones and blew them all over the place, taking out the door to the bridge in the process.

"We surrender!" the captain yelled fearfully.

Spark smiled. The _Knight _was theirs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sir, the _Gallant _and the _Knight _have turned on us and are attacking the fleet!"

Joren growled.

"All power to weapons! They will all suffer for this! And please shoot that Nebulon before it causes any damage!"

This was it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shaak Ti smiled as they reported the taking of the two last Strike Cruisers. The two cruisers were heading for the Dreadnaughts, were the Mon Cal frigates were already engaged. Ackdara was leading well.

"What's our next move Master Ti? The shuttles have all scattered, and we wont help blowing things up much." Syron said.

"Then for goodness sake, shoot the damn fighters!" Vella shouted as another one chipped away at their shields.

"But keep us close to the ISD. When those shields go down, I want to be close by to see it."

"Rightho!"

Shaak Ti grinned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Wat Tambor watched as his Rocketship, the _Interest_, got closer to the _Brute_, one of Joren's three Dreadnaught cruisers.

"Sir, we wont last long against those ships! We aren't defended enough!"

Tambor nodded his agreement. However, this was a good cause, one for something he believed in, rather than just profit. His motive: revenge and atonement.

"I know that my boy. Unless…"

"Yes sir?"

"Can we detach a fuel cell?"

"It's possible."

Tambor smiled, making the skin around his prosthetic eye stretch.

"Then get us close to the Dreadnaught, as close as you can, and engage it at point blank range, which is a terrible place to be engaged."

The captain shrugged at his friend and did as instructed. The _Interest _took a beating as it edged closer to the massive ship, which was firing at a steady pace into the _Slash_. The Rocketship, lightly armed with only a few cannons and a few missile launchers had no chance against the ship. Tambor looked at the readouts, then grinned.

"Fire the cell closest to the Dreadnaught."

"Yes sir!"

The cell detached and bumped onto the Dreadnaught.

"When I give the command, release the next one, and then fire on the first. As it breaches the shields, fire on the second."

The second cell was released, and then they acted.

"Fire!"

A blast destroyed the first cell, incinerating the shield layer of the Dreadnaught. The second one then bumped down on top of it.

"Fire!"

The blast ignited the fuel, causing an explosion that ripped the command module of the Dreadnaught apart from the rest of the ship. Broken into two pieces, the _Brute _tumbled away.

"That was amazing!" a small man said.

"Thank you. Now, I suggest we switch to engaging something smaller than ourselves." Tambor said.

"Yes sir!"

Tambor chortled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dice watched as Tambor destroyed the _Brute_. However, they had more immediate worries as yet another boarding party was coming in at the cruiser. They would treat this one as they had the last three. The hangar turbolasers opened fire, and the shuttle junked and dived, while Dice took aim with a portable missile launcher. The missile punctured through the cockpit, and the shuttle skidded to a stop inside the hangar, disgorging troops as it did so. As they spilled out, the Wookiees leapt down from above and demolished the troopers, Dice firing at his opponents. Dice smiled. This was going well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

On board the _Infuriator_, the fighting was fierce. Dark Woman Force pushed another clone away as she deflected a shot into yet another oncoming horde. Since a particularly ambitious TIE pilot had taken out the hangar shield generator. Since then they had faced a never ending wave of reinforcements. Springing, she deflected as she went, slicing apart three clones as she landed.

"There has to be a way to stop them coming!" Dark Woman yelled.

"We need to close the hangar blast doors!" a troop yelled.

Dark Woman looked across to the control station. Typically, it was surrounded by clones.

"Why is it always the hard way?" she asked.

She then started to push toward the station, deflecting shots and slicing off limbs as she went. She Force pushed a large group to the floor and sprang forward, her blade arcing around her as she went. Heads flew off in every direction. She then flipped over the heads of her opponents, and landed behind them, arcing her blade around to slice apart more. She then twirled across to the station, and with some quick saberwork finished off the clones guarding it.

"Pull the lever." She said to herself and did so.

Just at that moment, a shuttle came into the hangar. But it was a second too late, as the massive hangar door crushed it as it slammed shut. Now they had them.

"Time to go to work." She said smiling.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Deas, on board the _Freedom _looked out at the approaching troopers.

"I have an idea." He said slowly.

"What?" a trooper asked as he fired at the boarders.

"We shoot the roof."

The man nodded.

"And this will accomplish?"

"We knock down the support racks and trap them all."

The man nodded.

"It's a brilliant plan."

"Really? Permission to write home at once. This is the first brilliant plan I've ever had. I've tired for years and they normally turn out to be total pigswill."

"Later. For now, we need to get ready to…"

Just then Deas gulped as his saber was shot out of his hand. It flipped up into the air, where it sliced the rack. It swooped down from above, and then crushed the invaders behind it.

"Well that worked." Deas said.

The man shook his head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alpha watched as the next shuttle tried to get into the ship. The _Integrity _had held up well, and no landing party had made it onto the ship yet. Until now. The shuttle was subjected to blasterfire and was about to be destroyed. However, escape pods shot out of the ship. They crashed through the hangar shield and thudded into the deck of the Star Destroyer. As fire erupted around them troops spilled out and started firing. Alpha sighed. He thought it had been too easy. However, they had landed in a fully outfitted hangar bay.

"Fire."

Two manned ATTEs opened fire and wiped out the escape pods., leaving Alpha's group to tidy up the mess.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Aidus fired with his missile launcher as yet another shuttle came flying into the ship. Catching its underbelly it shot straight across the hangar and right out the other side, where it blew up.

"Commander Aidus!"

Aidus turned to see several crates of buzz droids opening.

"Excellent! Send them out against our enemies!"

Swarms of buzz droids shot out of the hangar and descended upon the approaching two shuttles and their fighter escorts. Aidus smirked, and then turned to another problem. They were now approaching the ship from both sides. He smiled and loaded up his launcher again. Firing, he took down two more shuttles as his torpedoes blasted through the ship with ease.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Serra sliced down the next group of clones standing between her and her goal. Body parts were flying off around her as she slaughtered her way to the bridge, her troops backing her up. The Interdictor was already mostly empty after a rather reckless assault by the _Defence _had spaced most of its main thoroughfare. They were now fighting through what remained and were nearly at the bridge.

"Mam, they've closed the blast doors." A trooper reported.

Serra grinned.

"Watch and learn."

Using the Force, she flattened out and spiralled towards the blast doors, her blades in her hands. She wrenched them off the wall and blew them in, then attacked the waiting troops. The captain smiled as she put up her hands.

"It's good to see you again Serra."

"Captain Variya. What are you doing here?"

"Looking for an opportunity to defect and get rid of those ghastly clones."

Variya had been with Serra at the Battle of Mon Gazza during the war. There, the two women had struck up a friendship, and Variya had mentioned how her crew detested the clones that were on her ship.

"I must thank the captain of the _Defence _for helping me fill out my plan."

Serra shook her head in wonder.

"How did you know what they were going to do?"

Variya winked at her.

"Skill my dear. Most of the clones have now been vented to space, however just in case there were more I never openly defected. But, the _Sucker _is at your command."

Serra smiled. Variya's crew had been moved to the _Sucker _after her previous Interdictor, the _Meerkat _had been damaged beyond repair by General Grievous.

"Thank you Variya. Now, I think it's time we turn your gravity well generators against your superior."

Variya smiled.

"My thoughts exactly."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We have taken the _Sucker_!" someone shouted.

Ackdara grinned.

"Joren, we've got you, you bastard."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sir they have taken the _Sucker_!"

Joren closed his eyes. There was no escape.

"All power to weapons! We will make them suffer before the end!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ackdara gritted her teeth as the _Bloodbath _opened fire with everything it had. Turbolaser blasts shook the _Swift_ as Joren pressed ahead with what remained of his fleet. Despite having lost his two Interdictors and his five Strike Cruisers, he still had his ISD, his two VSDs and two remaining Dreadnaughts. Time to change that equation. The _Hunger _was the only ship that was preventing the _Swift_ and the rest of the fleet from bombarding the _Bloodbath _from above, as it had cleverly placed itself in between the attack force and the Star Destroyer. Ackdara grinned.

"Roll us around and expose our belly to the Dreadnaught." She ordered.

The ship did so, and as expected, the Dreadnaught took advantage of the weaker defences and unleashed a devastating barrage.

"Full ahead. Take us right up to the Dreadnaught."

The ship was beginning to falter under the attack.

"Now, release cluster bombs."

They shot outwards, blowing apart several fighters, but not harming the Dreadnaught at all.

"Now! All power to engines!"

The _Swift _jerked forward, all cannons blazing as it rightened itself. The Dreadnaught, which as she expected, had thought the frigate was going to turn and fight after it released its cluster bombs, had put all shields forward, thus leaving the rest of the ship totally undefended. Turbolaser shots incinerated the starboard side of the vessel and the Dreadnaught was knocked off its axis, defeated. Ventress and Qual then led a few squadrons in and they finished it off with a couple of well placed torpedoes.

"Excellent. Focus all your firepower on the _Bloodbath_."

"Yes mam!"

Ackdara smiled. She loved it when her plans worked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kota and Mariss couldn't make any headway at all, and they were pinned inside the shuttle they had used to board the _Imperial_. They hadn't even got anybody out, and the enemy showed no signs of relenting.

"That's it, get us out of here!" Kota yelled.

"Where shall we go?" a troop asked.

"Take us to the _Famine_. It's not as good as a VSD but it will have to do. Tell Ackdara not to fire on it and say she can blow this up instead." Mariss shouted.

"Yes mam!"

Two minutes later, the shuttle was leaving the VSD and headed for the Dreadnaught.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Argron smiled as he received the order.

"Right my lot, focus firepower on the _Imperial_. We get to blow it up after all!"

Jehmit chuckled as the five Judicial cruisers swooped down on the VSD, firing missiles and lasers as they went. They were then backed up by the two Wookiee frigates who both unleashed a devastating broadside, catching the ship between two bouts of fire. Then above it, the _Infuriator _pummelled down on it, as the Judicials came back in for round two. It's shields failing because of the continuing barrage, the VSD tried to back out of the battle, but too late. As turbolaser fire continued to pound the cruiser, the five Judicials swept back down, firing missiles, emptying their entire magazine. Fire erupted all over the ship as it began to crack from the sheer power of the assault it faced. Argron then took great pleasure in firing a missile right into the bridge of the enemy cruiser. Finally, with one last barrage from the other cruisers, the _Imperial _broke apart and it was over.

"This is Argron. Let's attack the _Bloodbath_!"

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Bultar and Jeisel had battled their way all the way up to the command corridor of the _Senatorial _and they were not about to let some troops that had camped out in the defence stations outside the bridge stop them. Bultar sprang to the left hand barracks, her blade singing as she came down, slicing her first opponent in half. She then twirled several times, slicing apart opponents as they came too close to her. She then launched into a battle frenzy, defeating what remained of her opponents. Jeisel was much more direct and blasted them all with a Force push to get them away from the door, allowing her troops to rush forward to place their charges. Jeisel then dashed into the midst of clones and sliced them apart with ease. By the time the two Jedi had finished, the troops were ready. They blew open the door, and Bultar and Jeisel leapt in, taking down the defenders with their blades. As the troops entered, they secured the bridge, forcing the crew up against the wall.

"We have the ship. Now, reinforce the fleet's position and let's hit Joren with everything we've got!" Jeisel said.

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Kota and Mariss sprang out into the damaged hangar of the _Famine _and looked around. It was deserted. Clones lay dead everywhere due to a venting of atmosphere that had since been contained.

Suddenly the comm blared to life.

"Kota old man, is that you!?"

"Thinn?"

Thinn and Kota had been allies in one of the many battles on their homeworld of the rocky and warlike world of Ratakia, the sister world of Rattatak, though it was on the other side of the system.

"Yes old man! How are you?"

"Quite well. I'm sorry we're on the wrong side of the battle here."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mariss shrug at the troops, who shrugged back.

"You know, your lot have already made one hell of a mess of my ship, so I'll just surrender to you now."

Kota grinned.

"We'll catch up later old boy."

"That we will."

The comm clicked off and Kota grinned at Mariss.

"See? Simple, and not a shot fired."

Mariss shook her head.

"There'll be no living with him after this."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sir, we're on our own!"

Joren roared.

"I don't care! Full ahead, all power to weapons! Let us destroy them once and for all! We'll take as many as we can to the grave with us!"

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Ackdara watched as the ISD shot towards the fleet. She shook her head. Foolish man.

"All forces, concentrate all your fire on the _Imperial_ Star Destroyer!"

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Turbolaser shots, laser bolts, missiles and mines were all sent at the _Bloodbath _as it tried to make a final stand against a vastly superior foe. Cannons and tractor beams were blown apart, comm towers and jammers disintegrated.

The _Bloodbath _was dying at last.

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"Sir, wouldn't it be better if we surrendered?"

With a cry of fury, Joren shot the man.

"Imperials do not surrender! For the Emperor!"

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Ventress smiled as the fleet let loose at the _Bloodbath_. Now it was her turn. She gunned the engines and fired a missile right into the bridge shield generator. With a shattering explosion, it blew apart. The end was nigh, and the enemy would soon be defeated.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sir, we just lost our main bridge deflector shield!"

"Intensify the forward batteries, I don't want anything to get through!"

And at that moment, Joren's mind finally accepted he had lost. But that wouldn't stop him or his course in the slightest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The _Silver Blade_'s crew watched as the shield dome exploded.

"He's open." Teecee stated.

"Well don't just sit there! Gun the engines!" Vella shouted.

"Oh right!"

They sped towards the Star Destroyer, which was beginning to melt under the bombardment.

"May I?" Shaak Ti asked, indicating the missile lever.

"Of course."

"Thank you."

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"Sir!" a man yelled, pointing at the approaching Corvette.

"Intensify forward fire power!" Joren yelled.

"Too late!"

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Shaak Ti squeezed the trigger.

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"NOOOOO!" Joren yelled as the missile burst through the viewport.

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With that, the bridge detonated into thousands of tiny bits, taking General Joren with it in a fiery explosion. A second later, the readings of the ship went critical and it shattered apart in a massive fiery explosion.

The _Bloodbath _was gone at last, Joren with it, and the Jedi were victorious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shaak Ti sat down tiredly in a seat and opened the comm.

"Excellent job everyone. Joren's war machine has been eradicated."

There were many whoops and shouts of joy as the fleet heard the news.

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An hour later, it was time to deal with the politics of winning the battle.

"Transfer all the prisoners onto one of the dungeon ships and let it take them back to neutral space. Collect all things worth salvaging and formalise the surrender of the defectors. Anyone else who wishes to defect will of course be allowed to do so. The _Vanguard _will be our medical frigate for the moment. Deploy people to try to find any survivors who are EV. Man the captured ships and call all forces back in, and get all wounded to the _Vanguard _for treatment." Shaak Ti relayed through the fleet, with Ackdara's approval.

She then turned to Rox.

"And as for you my dear, I wonder if you could help me do something?"

Rox whistled and Shaak Ti grinned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Palpatine glared down at him.

"I summoned you back here so you could destroy a Jedi here, not lose the ones you were already chasing!"

"You summoned me, so I came! If you wanted me to chase after Shaak Ti, you shouldn't have summoned me!"

Vader heard a simpering female laugh, but ignored it.

"Oh, never mind. Yes, a Jedi named Jax Pavan is making a nuisance of himself. Eliminate him please."

"Very well my master." Vader said through clenched teeth.

It was then that Amedda and Moore entered.

"My Emperor, something's coming through on your private channel."

"Well you had better display it hadn't you?"

As the hologram flickered to life, Vader had a terrible premonition of dread.

Shaak Ti materialised in front of them.

"Oh oh." Amedda said and he and Moore started backing away slowly towards the door.

"Hello Emperor. I just have a tiny little thing to show you."

The camera then turned to a field of wreckage, and the unmistakeable remains of a Star Destroyer. It was labelled BLOODBATH.

"Joren is dead, his fleet is either destroyed or in our hands, and we are victorious." Shaak Ti said triumphantly.

She waved at them, gave them a gloating smile then signed off.

Then, they blew.

"SSSSHHHHAAAAAAAAKKKK TTTTIIII!"

**Hooray! Joren is dead at last! sorry this took so long, and Merry Christmas to you all and Happy New Year when it comes!**

**Right, thats the end of the first battle. At last. Christ, do you have any idea how long it takes to write a battle of that size, especially when you get side tracked playing Knights of the Old Republic in the middle?**

**So Joren is dead, the Jedi are victorious, they have new ships and Palpatine and Vader are furious. All in a day's work. Finally, a break for the Jedi. Now they can relax.**

**So, that's the last Dark Times for a while. I'm determined to finish Harry Potter and the Criminal Chase, so thats next, and then I might write a Knights of the Old Republic story.**

**Oh, and if there's any questions about the battle, dont hesitate to ask!**

**So, until next time, enjoy New Year and please read and review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

21

It was two days after the battle with Joren's fleet. The fleet was ready to move on again, and they knew that if they lingered much longer, someone would come to try and shoot them. So, the fleet had to move on, preferably before Vader arrived in a rather foul mood. Shaak Ti called a meeting of the leaders of the Resistance.

It was like an old Reconciliation Council meeting. She, Ackdara, Tsui, Exaz, Syron and Meena Tills were all present.

"Right, we have several problems facing us. The time has come for us to get a clear command structure. Otherwise, we're going to wind up fighting ourselves." Shaak Ti said.

"What do you suggest my dear?" Exaz asked.

"First, we need a strong leader of the military. Ackdara, I name you our Supreme Commander and Admiral of the fleet."

"Thank you Master Ti."

"Below you, we need a General."

"That should be Argron. He knows what hes doing." Exaz said.

"I take it you don't want to be part of the main fleet?" Ackdara asked Syron.

"No offence, but no. I'd much rather be Talo Taxi Services Limited."

Shaak Ti gave him the finger.

"Below him?"

"Kryn could be a colonel." Syron suggested.

"Fair enough. And then two captains under him, Qual and Variya." Meena said.

"Do we trust her? She's an Imp." Ackdara said.

"Ventress is a Dark Jedi." Tsui countered.

"Point taken."

"What about our army?"

"I say we put Alpha in charge of them. It would make a lot of sense." Meena said.

They agreed on that at least.

"Special Forces?" Exaz asked.

"Aidus." Syron said simply.

"Fine."

Shaak Ti smiled.

"So, we now have a military command structure. I leave it to you to work out task forces and things my dear."

Ackdara nodded.

"And now we need a Jedi Council." Exaz said.

"And a proper leader." Syron said.

"And leaders for all the different things." Meena added.

"First thing's first. The Council."

"Master Ti will of course have to be the new Grand Master." Tsui said.

"Master Choi should be the new Master Windu." Exaz added.

"Who else?"

"Exaz." Syron said.

Exaz shot him a dirty look, but the others all agreed.

"Oh, very well."

"Master K'kruhk." Ackdara suggested.

"He will be thrilled." Exaz said sarcastically.

"Master Saa?" Meena asked.

They agreed on that with ease.

"You cant have one without the other. Tholme." Syron said.

They all nodded.

"Half way there. Jeisel." Ackdara said.

"Luminara." Shaak Ti said.

Four were left to go.

"Voolvif Monn." Tsui said.

"I know he's young, but A'sharad." Exaz added.

"Now, who should the last two be? Dass Jennir? Bultar Swan?" Ackdara asked.

"What about Kota? Or Quin? Or Kai?" Syron put up.

"What about the Dark Woman?" Meena asked.

Out of all the options, she was the most controversial.

"I don't know if that's wise…" Tsui began.

"I don't see why not. She's a fine Jedi Master, and knows what she's doing. We may as well take her." Shaak Ti said.

"So, who will the last member be?" Ackdara asked.

"Ventress." Tsui whispered.

"Ventress? Whie would have my head on a platter!" Shaak Ti protested.

"It'll show unity between us, and allow us to keep an eye on her. And it will give her a morale boost."

"Any objections?"

"Don't see any reason not to put here there." Syron said, to the nods of Exaz and Meena.

Ackdara nodded eventually.

"Very well."

"So, the species leaders are already appointed. And the various parts of our rebellion." Syron said.

"And they will act as advisors and cabinet members, sort of like Senators."

"Putting me in that category, along with Gumbaeki, Resa, Wat Tambor, Tusk Teen, Syron, as he can represent the smugglers and pirates, and Dice, who can lead the clones." Meena said.

"And you're still quartermaster, and Tikkes can help you." Shaak Ti agreed.

"So my friends, I believe we have our command structure." Tsui said happily.

That job done, they now had more immediate worries.

"We have won our first victory. But Palpatine will be having a fit by now. He'll be sending every warlord in the book after us, and Vader wont be far behind. We have to get a new, proper base. Admiral, I leave that to you."

Syron then went forward.

"Back up a second. Who's actually leading us?"

"Master Ti of course." Tsui said in surprise.

"But is she absolute ruler, or does she report to these so called Senators and the Council?"

They all sat back.

"We cant afford to become like the Senate." Ackdara said, her Mon Cal eyes narrowed.

"I agree." Tsui said.

"Nor can we afford to turn into a mini Empire." Exaz said.

"This is what we do. The Senate, such as it is, can work with the Jedi Council and effectively stop her. We can remove her from power if we feel she is a threat to the rebellion. However, if its matters to do with state, she has full power, unless she is acting against our best interests, in which we can arrest her." Tsui said.

"So, she consults us, and can then ignore us."

"Three strikes and she's out."

Ackdara sighed.

"I know it's not ideal, but it will have to do until we can get a proper form of government, a permanent base and a working constitution."

"Very well. I don't like this any more than you do Syron dear." Shaak Ti said.

They agreed to move on.

"Right, so we have struck. But we cant afford to lose initiative. We need to get more ships, more allies, and more supplies to piss off the Empire even more. So, I shall be going to the Corporate Sector."

"That's handy. The new President has sauntered off already."

"Shut up. So, I shall go on the _Silver Blade._ And I know how bad things can get there, so Admiral, I want a task force ready to aid me at a second's notice."

"Easy enough. Meanwhile, Meena puts the info around the fleet about the new way of running things, we keep looking for a base, and attack a few Imps every once in a while."

"Essentially."

"So, all's well on the home front. I too will go with you my dear. That leaves Master Exaz in charge." Tsui said gleefully.

Exaz shot him a look that could have frozen Mustafar.

"And let's hope that we can run a state better than the Republic did." Meena said.

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The small task force that Shaak Ti was taking to the Corporate Sector was led by Captain Variya, captain of the _Sucker_, and now called the _Meerkat_, like before. The rest of the captured ships from the battle would also be joining them. Meanwhile, Ackdara, leading from the _Swift_, was leading the fleet away to a new home, while Colonel Kryn on the _Millionaire_, and Captain Qual on the _Spectrum _would launch attacks on Imperial interests, while General Argron stayed with the refugee ships and looked for a home when Ackdara went to blow things up.

"There is an asteroid belt not far from Etti IV captain. I suggest you hide there."

"Of course Master Ti."

Variya then leapt away with her fleet, and the rest of the fleet then went in a different direction.

"What do we plan to do in the Corporate Sector?" Vella asked.

"You'll see."

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The _Silver Blade _was making good time, travelling at lightspeed towards the lawless Corporate Sector. Shaak Ti intended to replace the lost fighters, gather a few more troops to the cause, gain some cruisers, and get out before the Empire found them.

"Master Ti?" Vella asked when she entered the lounge.

"Yes dear?"

Vella sat down heavily.

"Do you think we can actually escape the Empire?"

Shaak Ti smiled grimly.

"I don't know. But I tell you, we'll have a damn good try. We cant allow the people of this galaxy to suffer under the hatred and oppression of the Sith. We must fight. And I will fight until my dying breath, I assure you. I don't think we can win. But then, it wouldn't be the first time Jedi have fought an already lost cause."

Vella smiled.

"Palpatine will have a heart attack because of us."

"We can only hope. I don't think we can win. The Empire controls the galaxy, and we are a bunch of refugees without a home and travelling around on a bunch of warships. But that wont stop me."

"Or me."

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Before proceeding to Etti IV itself, they first had to stop off at a refuelling station, as Teecee had read the meter wrong.

"It's not my fault!" he protested.

While Syron refuelled the ship, Shaak Ti, Tsui, Softy, Vella and Rox explored the station.

"Damn droid." Vella moaned.

"We all mistakes." Tsui said gleefully.

He thought it was a very funny joke that Teecee had forgotten to fuel the ship.

They entered a small bar. Being only a small place, not meant to hold anything larger than a Dreadnaught, there was very little to do. It reminded Shaak Ti of a spaceport. While they had a drink, Vella's eye was drawn to several figures by the door.

"Oh no." she whispered.

"What's wrong?" Tsui asked.

"Black Heart Pirates." She said, pointing.

They could see the small group by the bar, led by a Gotal. They did indeed have a black heart emblem on their clothes.

"So?" Shaak Ti asked.

Rox whistled an explanation.

"They're the head honchos of the sector?"

"Basically. The Empire's been asked to hunt them down by the Sector Authority. "

"Charming."

A man then sat at the table.

"I remember you from Rogue Station. You're the Jedi." He said certainly.

"I am." Shaak Ti whispered.

"I'm the leader of the refugees. We came here, trying to find Grobba and stop him. We were caught. We fled to the asteroid field, but we were caught in the Empire's trap. He destroyed three of our ships, so we fled to here."

"Sad soul. You've been through the mill dear boy, I understand that. What do you have left?"

"Not much. All that remains from Rogue Station is the people I have on my ships, and Grobba's thugs. He's here in the sector too."

"Oh, let's pay him a visit." Vella said enthusiastically.

"How many people are left?"

"Around two hundred and fifty four."

All that was left of a station that had about ten times that number of people living on it.

"You poor dears."

"We want to join you. We've got nothing else left to do. It's either that or go up against Grobba, who'll blow us out of the sky, and the Empire, same thing."

"Very well."

She gave him a data pad, with a list of points on it.

"Go to the location third down. There you will find a fleet of ours. I know it's Imperial ships, but they're on our side. Tell Captain Variya I sent you. She'll look after you for the moment."

The man thanked her, shook her hand, and left.

"Poor man." Tsui said sympathetically.

"I wonder what ships he's got?" Vella asked.

Softy moaned that he cant have much.

Ten minutes later, they saw a _Consular _cruiser, two medium transports and three freighters leave.

"That's all that's left?" Vella asked in disbelief.

"Fraid so." Tsui said sadly.

"Vella dear, I reckon we should go and see that overgrown slug again." Shaak Ti hissed.

"Best idea you've had all day."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Grobba's moon was not far from Etti IV either. The Corvette shot out of lightspeed and headed on in. Four skiff like cruisers flanked Grobba's cruiser. Syron operated the comm.

"Tell Grobba that a few former colleagues have a Jedi for him." He said.

The man on the other end let them in, and they docked inside the rocky moon where Grobba had set up shop. According to Vella, Grobba had infuriated Jabba last time he was on Tatooine, and wasn't welcome there, explaining why he had fled here. Syron, Vella, Rox and Softy escorted the two Jedi, in chains, out the ship and to Grobba's throne room at the top of the moon.

"Syron, Vella, Softy! How nice of you to come and see Grobba!" he said happily.

"You still owe us money. And we want more for brining you this pair." Vella said.

"Ah, Jedi! You see how my life has gone into the gutter since you appeared? Not to worry. Grobba will make enough money to recover his losses."

"I'm sure." Shaak Ti said listlessly.

She looked at Vella and Syron, who discreetly nodded. She then winked at Rox, and nudged Tsui.

"Bring them to me." Grobba commanded.

Thugs shoved them both forward, and Shaak Ti winked at Rox again.

"Come on!"

Rox whistled.

Shaak Ti and Tsui then leapt into the air, their lightsabers flying from Rox's dome and into their hands. They landed and proceeded to lop the hands off of Grobba's guards, While Syron, Vella and Softy opened fire with stun bolts.

"Stop them!" Grobba yelled.

Nighsk, Grobba's bodyguard, cowered behind his master, while the three smugglers fought their way up, and more thugs arrived. Meanwhile, the two Jedi were neutralising the threat of a bunch of thugs.

Then, a Mandalorian appeared his blaster blazing.

"Boba Fett!" Shaak Ti hissed as she deflected shots back towards him.

"Boba Fett? Where?" Syron asked as he fired a shot off by accident.

His jetpack lit and sent him flying out of the window.

"Found him."

"I'll get you for that Jedi!" he yelled as he jetpacked away.

Most of Grobba's thugs were missing weapons, and a few were missing hands.

"Call them off Grobba!" Shaak Ti yelled.

"Fine! Stop!"

The thugs all ceased fire and looked at their boss.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, his eyes narrowed.

Shaak Ti hissed.

"That was a bit of revenge for Rogue Station. You know, the people you ruled and then hung out to dry."

"All this for them?" he demanded.

"Yes. And for Scout."

"Foolish move Jedi."

"Maybe. But you deserve to be blown out of existence. I have a fleet, which has now been joined by the Rogue Station survivors, which I would dearly love to order to come here and blow this place to smithereens."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"You could have helped them."

Grobba fumed, but still showed no remorse.

"Fine. I've had enough. I will send a message to my fleet and have them come and wreck the joint."

At the precise moment, a fleet dropped out of hyperspace.

"Very clever. Call them off Jedi, and I swear I'll do my best to help the survivors of Rogue Station."

"It isn't them. I haven't called them." She protested.

"Master Ti, there's six Star Destroyers there. We don't have six Destroyers."

"Oh no." Tsui moaned.

"Admiral Snake!"

"Who?"

"Evacuate!"

At those words, every thug ran for the exits.

"Where is your fleet? I swear I'll help them!"

Shaak Ti threw a datapad to him, and he slithered off to his cruiser.

The team ran through the corridors, back to the hangars, where thugs were hopping into fighters and freighters.

"Bugger this, Grobba's attracted the Empire! Let's go serve the Sector Authority instead!" someone yelled.

"Take that Corvette!" a man yelled.

Shaak Ti force pushed them and they thought better of it. They entered the ship, and Teecee gunned the engines. The Corvette blasted out of the hangar, and shot away from the moon, observing what was happening.

It was indeed Snake who had appeared, and his Star Destroyer had just destroyed one of the four frigates. Freighters were either shooting away on their own accord, or were forming up with Grobba's cruiser.

"Git." Shaak Ti cursed.

"The Interdictor's are powering up." Teecee reported.

"Then let's go before they do." Syron said.

The Corvette jumped to lightspeed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Grobba, aboard his cruiser the _Spice Lord_, cursed as Snake's forces bombarded his base out of existence. He had nowhere left to run. Expect perhaps…

Another frigate blew apart behind them.

"Let's go." He said wearily, giving the pilot the location Shaak Ti had given him.

The cruiser, with his two frigates and half a dozen freighters that had survived a recent TIE Fighter ambush leapt away.

All he could do now was hope that those he had left to dry would accept him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Snake looked at the flaming and smoking moon with satisfaction. The last remnant of Rogue Station had been swept away.

"Congratulations. We have just crippled a Hutt crime lord." He said.

"Sir, a word." An ensign said from a crew pit.

"Yes?"

The man handed him a report. Snake glowered.

"What are you doing in the Corporate Sector Shaak Ti?"

He gave the man the report, then stormed off to his cabin. This needed further investigation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They finally arrived at Etti IV, and nearly crashed into a Corvette with a circular bridge.

"What the hell are you doing, blocking the hyperspace route?" Syron yelled.

"Syron Talo? Is that you?" a woman's voice responded.

"Jula?"

"How are you? It's been a long time. Are you going to the planet?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I'm just waiting for my two other ships to arrive, then I'm going down."

A Tartan cruiser and a Broadside cruiser then arrived.

"Now we can go. Cudgel, stay up here."

"Right boss."

The two Corvettes shot towards the planet's surface and landed in the spaceport.

Ten minutes later, after Shaak Ti had used the Force to get in for free, they met Jula's crew.

Syron and Vella hugged her as they saw her. It seemed that she had taught them a few tricks when they had started out as smugglers.

"How's the _Drunk Dancer_?"

"All being well, considering we got caught at Kashyyyk."

"You were at Kashyyyk?"

"Yes. My son was killed by that new guy, Darth Vader."

Shaak Ti approached the crew.

"Who was he? Was he attacking him?" she asked.

"Yes. Lightsabers flashing and all."

Silence met these words.

"He was a Jedi?"

"Yes, Roan Shryne."

A young girl with black hair came out with a young man with spiky blond hair. She stopped short when she saw Shaak Ti.

"Hello Master Ti." She said in surprise.

"Olee Starstone. I assumed you were dead."

"Not yet Master."

"So, another Jedi. Well, if you want her back, she'll cost extra."

"I leave it up to her what she wants to do. I must say, you've done well for yourself my dear." She said with a wink.

Olee and Filli blushed.

"So, what are you doing here?" Jula asked.

"Shopping." Syron said.

"We're here to try and find some of the Wookiees the Empire imprisoned."

"We've got some. Thousand." Tsui said.

Jula smiled.

"Good. At least you'll look after them."

They set off up the street, where Jula and the crew of both ships decided to go for a drink.

"Remember to get the stuff on the list." Shaak Ti said, as she and Tsui headed up to see some of the casinos.

"Can I do a Bespin?" Tsui asked.

"No you cant. We're here for ships, not cash."

Then, they felt a flicker in the Force.

"A Jedi, here?" Tsui whispered.

"I don't see why not. Let's have a look."

And so they entered a casino. They quickly tracked down the Jedi. An elderly Bothan was sitting playing sabaac, and winning a lot of money. They waited until the end of the round, and then followed the Jedi as he left the casino. He led them down a side street, then turned to face them.

"Master Ti. You shouldn't sneak up on an old man."

"Master Hudorra."

She embraced him.

"It's good to see you my dear lady. I thought the Empire had wiped out the Council."

"Most of it I'm afraid. However, I'm rebelling, with aid of several other Jedi." She said, indicating Tsui.

"Yes, so I've heard. The local commander is not happy. Though perhaps that has something to do with Admiral Snake's arrival."

"Perhaps. It's good to see you alive. How much of a fortune have you amassed over the last few weeks?"

"A fair bit." He said, his eyes twinkling.

"I'm glad for you. Goodbye my friend."

She beckoned to Tsui, who looked at her in confusion.

"Why didn't you ask him to join us?"

"Because he needs to find out if he wants to join us himself."

"Master Ti!"

He ran to catch up with them.

"I would be honoured to fight alongside you."

"Thank you my friend. Go to the cantina on the corner of the next street. You will see a Wookiee, a Corellian man and a blonde woman. Tell them I sent you. Olee Starstone might recognise you."

He nodded and set off.

"Not bad for a day's work. And we haven't even started yet." Tsui said.

"And we cant start until tomorrow. The ship auction isn't until then."

With that, they headed to the cantina.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day dawned misty and bright in the capital city of Mondder. It was the day of the ship auction that Shaak Ti had heard about, the one that she planned to buy a fleet from.

"We don't have limitless money." Teecee warned.

"That's where the Force comes in." she said with a wink.

Borrowing Olee Starstone, the four Jedi headed to the auction. They had about two hours after it started, as they were looking for heavy cruisers, rather than small ones like Corvettes. They eventually entered, after several cups of coffee.

"Right, you all know what to do. Master Hudorra, you deal with the crowds with Master Choi. Olee, deal with the auctioneer, and I'll deal with the bidding."

Olee slipped up to the auctioneer.

"You will start the bidding at ten credits."

After he complied, she waited in the shadows.

The auction began.

"So, first for this lot we have an _Accumulator_ cruiser, and the bid is starting at ten credits!"

There was excited muttering at this. One man raised his hand.

"Did you say ten?"

"Yes."

The man was then fixed by Tsui.

"Sorry. Thought I misheard."

Shaak Ti grinned.

"So, first bid, ten credits, any advance on ten."

Shaak Ti raised her hand.

"Twenty credits, any advance on twenty credits?"

As the Force was at play, there wasn't.

"Sold to the lady at the back!"

Tsui was on the floor laughing.

"That's terrible! Twenty credits for a fully armed warship. Madness!"

Now considering they normally cost 40000000 credits, it was a brilliant bargain indeed.

The bidding continued. Soon, they had accumulated two more _Accumulators_.

The auction went on, with the Jedi using their powers to great effect, paying twenty credits each for three _Venator _Star Destroyers. As these normally cost 59000000 credits, Tsui could hardly move from laughing.

The last stage of the auction was military surplus.

"We have a nice set of three _Victory _Star Destroyers here, as the Empire wants more _Imperial_s. So, ten credits for the lot!"

Unfortunately, two folk also bid on it, so they had to pay thirty credits all told.

An hour later, after they made the poor people in the crowd forget the best bargain in galactic history, they walked outside.

"Whatever happened to using the Force for knowledge and defence?" Olee asked.

"I was. I was defending our coffers from the evil prices they were charging." Shaak Ti said.

They all laughed. They had just got the best bargain in history, and a fleet to go with it.

Syron and the rest of the crew of the _Blade _and the _Drunk Dancer_ came to greet them.

"How much was it?" Vella asked worriedly.

"One hundred and fifty credits all told." Shaak Ti said.

They stared at her in disbelief, and they related the tale. Syron was poorless.

"You've just killed their auction business."

"A minor detail. What matters is that we got nine cruisers for one hundred and fifty quid."

"That's despicable." Jula said, though she had just recovered from cackling on the floor.

"Course it is." Olee said with a grin as Filli kissed her cheek.

An alarm suddenly blared across the air.

"What's that?"

"The pirate alarm."

They hastened to their ships.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The _Silver Blade _and _Drunk Dancer _were in the air in minutes, and were joined by Jula's Broadside cruiser, commanded by Cudgel, named the _Bearing _and a Tartan Cruiser commanded by Guanta, a Wookiee, named the _Compass Point_.

Shaak Ti emerged onto the bridge and looked at what was facing them.

"We need to get rid of them, otherwise we'll never get our ships off planet." Vella said.

(Four ships wont stop them. It's a massive fleet.) Softy growled.

"He's certainly right about that." Kai agreed.

At the centre of the pirate formation was a _Venator _Star Destroyer. This was backed up by three Kaloth cruisers, two Corellian Gunships, two Corellian Corvettes, two Escort Carriers of the _Quasar _bulk class, a bulk cruiser, a bulk transport, two Trade Federation Missile Frigates, a CC7700 and a CC9600.

"That's his entire fleet." Syron moaned.

"What do we know of this chap?" Tsui asked.

"He's an Aleena by the name of Kree. His crew are loyal to him. He's not bad for a pirate, but he scares the daylights out of the entire sector. And I don't reckon that's his full fleet. He'll have a fleet guarding his base too." Teecee said.

"We cant call in Variya without due cause. And they may leave and not cause much harm." Kai said.

"We cant take that risk."

Shaak Ti then went for the comm.

"This is Jedi Master Shaak Ti to the Corporate Sector Authority Space Force. We will fight to defend your planet. But we need help." She said.

"This is Commander Bsitith Varan of the Star Destroyer _Economy._ We are en route to you now. I am told that Etti IV has put out a call to ships on the planet for ships that will defend."

However, Kree's pirates were moving towards the planet, and the missile frigates were nearly in firing range. If they fired, either Etti IV would be hit, or their ships. From behind them a task force of mismatched shuttles, fighters and freighters arrived from the planet. There were about twenty five freighters and shuttles all told, and five squadrons worth of fighters.

"Better than nothing I suppose." Shaak Ti said.

"This is Kree of the battleship _Piracy_. Stand down, or we will be forced to destroy you."

"Pleasant fellow." Tsui commented.

"Captain Kree, I am a Jedi Master. I have business to conduct here, but I assure you, that if you allow me to carry it out without interference, we need not fight."

"I think not Jedi."

"Typical."

"Mind you, the local Imp commander might pay a fair bit for you. Come on Jedi, let's play."

A missile streaked forth from one of the missile frigates and ripped a shuttle apart.

"Bad move. All craft, prepare for battle." She ordered.

They however, seemed to have lost their nerve.

"Please." She asked hopefully.

There was a rush, and suddenly three _Venator _class Destroyers, two _Lucrehulk_ cruisers, five Dreadnaughts, ten Marauder Corvettes, seven Carrack Cruisers, twelve Medium Transports and three Nebulon Bs arrived.

"This is Commander Varan of the _Economy_. Captain Kree, I strongly recommend you surrender."

"Not likely. Engage."

The two fleets cruised towards each other, their weapons firing and their fighters deploying. Much as she hated to admit it, Kree's forces were good. Two medium transports were destroyed in a barrage of missiles, and one of the Nebulon Bs was knocked out early doors. Kree's Destroyer fired at all who got in its way, with its ion cannons taking out the first of the _Lucrehulk_s.

"Captain Kree, this is Master Tsui Choi. I invoke the right of parlay!"

With a stutter, all guns in Kree's fleet went silent.

"Parlay?"

"Yes. In the pirate's code, a person who invokes parlay can negotiate with a pirate."

"Oh very well. Come over to the _Piracy_."

"How on earth did you know about that?" Shaak Ti asked in amazement.

"You'd be surprised what watching 'Pirates of the Caribbean' can do for you." He said happily.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The shuttle landed in the hangar of the _Piracy_. Tsui, Softy and Shaak Ti went to talk.

Kree was already waiting for them. He certainly looked like a pirate. He had numerous scars, and they could feel the power emanating from his small frame. He was tough skinned and looked ready to fight and die at any moment.

"So Jedi, you finally got Etti IV to create a defence against me. What's so important here I wonder?"

"I have ships here, and I need them for my resistance against the Empire." Shaak Ti said.

"So, you're looking out for yourself. Pirate." Kree said, and his crew laughed.

"Look, we don't want to fight. By all means, keep shooting them after we leave. Just leave us alone for now." Tsui said.

Kree appraised him.

"Tell you what Jedi. You fight me, no Force powers, fair and square, and beat me, I'll leave. If not, you give me your cruisers, and the ships you originally had, and let me plunder and pillage my measly black guts out."

"Agreed." Tsui said.

With that, he whipped of his cloak and the crew, along with Shaak Ti and Softy, gathered to watch.

Kree started first, headbutting Tsui square on the nose. As he fell backward, Tsui punched Kree in the head. The other Aleena staggered back, laughed, and then charged Tsui in the stomach. Tsui was flipped over and he thudded to the ground. Kree laughed and ran for him again, but Tsui took his legs out from under him. He then sprang up and leapt onto Kree's chest and started pummelling him. Kree however, showed his strength and forced Tsui off, kicking him as he did so. Tsui dropped to the floor again, and after Kree got his breath back, was kicked in the stomach. Tsui then punched Kree right in the stomach, jumped up and punched him in the mouth, and then shouldered him into the air, where he punched him back down to the ground again. Kree cursed wildly, and cracked his knuckles on Tsui's head, but Tsui just came back around again and kicked Kree to the floor.

Kree wasn't done, and kicked Tsui square in the stomach, making the Jedi drop to his knees. Kree went in for the kill.

Which, Shaak Ti noticed, was exactly what Tsui wanted.

Kree brought his fist screaming around to meet Tsui's head, when Tsui grabbed the pirate, threw him over his shoulder and crashed him to the ground. Kree gasped in surprise, then put his hands up in defeat.

"You win Jedi."

Shaak Ti and Softy whooped in approval, while Kree's crew were silent in shock.

Kree got to his feet and shook Tsui's hand.

"A fine battle Jedi. This id the first time in forty years I've been beaten. I salute you!"

"Thank you."

"I stand by my agreement. We will leave Etti IV alone until you've gone. Unless…"

(Pirate.) Softy moaned.

"Unless you want us to go with you."

"Eh?" Shaak Ti said.

She hadn't been expecting that.

"I'm as keen to fight the Empire as anybody. And I reckon you'll be doing a fair bit of that. I need to make them pay for wiping out one of my task forces last week. I haven't been beaten in years. Now I have. I reckon we could be good partners Jedi."

Tsui looked to Shaak Ti, who shrugged.

"You are a noble, if immoral man, Kree. I would be honoured to have you fight beside us."

Kree then shook hands with Tsui, Softy and Master Ti.

"The entire fleet out there, it's yours. Where are we going?" he asked.

"Nowhere until we have what we came for. Are you bringing your entire fleet?" Tsui asked.

"No, I'll leave some here. But you have that lot outside. Tell me when you're ready to go."

And with that, he walked off, his crew chatting excitedly and Shaak Ti, Softy and Tsui exchanging mystified looks.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When they got back to the _Silver Blade_, Jula was waiting for them.

"You know Jedi, seeing you makes me think that my son needs avenging. And the Wookiees on my cruisers want blood. Can we come with you and help fight the Empire?"

Shaak Ti smiled and took her hand.

"It would be a delight to have you my dear."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, the Defence fleet had gone back to wherever it was, and the vigilantes had landed again. When Shaak Ti left the ship, she was met by a Magistrate, who she knew was the leader of the city.

"Master Jedi, I cant tell you how thrilled we are that you are removing the pirates for us. I see that the Jedi aren't all evil after all."

She grinned.

"Thank you."

"We wish to express our gratitude. As a result, we give you an _Accumulator_, a Carrack Cruiser, a medium transport, a Dreadnaught, a Marauder Frigate and a Nebulon B."

"Thank you very much indeed."

"They're all fully crewed and ready to serve. I don't know what you plan Jedi, but may the Force be with you."

He then strolled off, leaving Shaak Ti very bamboozled indeed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Admiral Snake looked at the report. Shaak Ti had destroyed Joren's fleet and was now running around amok in the Corporate Sector.

"Damn her."

With a knock at the door, his captain entered.

"Sir, we've just had a priority message from Etti IV. The Black Hearts are attacking again."

"Oh, very well. Let's go."

"Seemingly, a Corellian corvette under the name _Silver Blade_ has facilitated a defence."

Snake grinned.

"Shaak Ti. Signal Colonel Idis and tell him to set course for Etti IV. She will not escape us this time!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, a skeleton crew was on each of the ships they had bought which were part of the destroyed task force belonging to Kree (they had abandoned ship before they were wiped out and had been on the _Piracy_ since), their fighters were all loaded, and they were ready to leave.

"Best of luck to you Jedi," the Magistrate said.

"Thank you. May the Force be with you."

The fleet launched off from the ground and head into space, where they met up with Kree's pirates and Jula's small task force.

"Prepare for lightspeed." Syron ordered.

"Syron!" Jula yelled.

Snake's fleet had just shot into the system, and was backed up in seconds by another fleet containing five ISDs and an Interdictor.

"Fortune vomits in my eiderdown once more." Shaak Ti moaned.

"Shaak Ti. I don't know how you escaped General Joren, but you will not escape me. You and your fleet are not leaving this system."

"Call Variya, now." Shaak Ti whispered to Tsui.

"Snake. We have you outmatched."

"No we don't." Kai said.

Shaak Ti kicked him hard in the shins.

"You think so do you? Even if they were running at full crews, you wouldn't overmatch me. Surrender. And I might be able to use those ships of yours for the Empire."

"Never."

"Very well. Destroy her."

Variya's fleet, backed up by the Rogue Station leftovers and Grobba's ships, then surged into the system.

"What?" Snake demanded.

They heard a man in the background explain they were part of Joren's fleet.

"That's very clever Shaak Ti. It will do you no good."

"Good afternoon you bastard."

Silence met these words.

"Variya." Snake breathed at last.

"Yes, you insignificant little man. Now, get out of our way or I'll blow you out of existence."

She didn't need to, as the Corporate Sector Fleet, backed up by twelve VSDs, suddenly shot it and opened fire.

"Get out of our airspace. We are not part of the Empire!" Varan yelled defiantly.

Snake was caught between two fleets, and the new arrivals could cause a lot more damage. Both Imperial fleets turned to meet the Corporate Sector fleet.

"Flee Master Ti! We'll hold them off! Get out of here, and take the fight elsewhere!" Varan implored.

"May the Force be with you dear boy. Good luck." Shaak Ti whispered.

There was an explosion as the _Serpent _blasted the _Economy _out of existence.

"Fair skies Commander Varan." Vella said.

As the fight raged between Snake's forces and the Corporate Sector Fleet, the Jedi fleet turned and shot to lightspeed before Varan's sacrifice was made in vain.

**She's back! It's good to be writing Dark Times again.**

**Shaak Ti has now set up a power structure, and has greatly increased her fleet, thanks goodness. **

**The Drunk Dancer's fleet comes from Dark Lord, set after Revenge of the Sith. The Dancer itself is basically a Corvette but with a circular bridge, the Tartan is in Empire at War and so is the Broadside.**

**As I've said before, the Hutt Cruiser looks like Jabba's sail barge and the frigates like a skiff.**

**The medium trasnports are the rebel transports that you see evacuating Hoth in Empire Strikes back.**

**The Venator Star Destroyers are the ones seen in Revenge of the Sith with the two bridge towers. **

**The CC7700 and CC9600 are both in Star Wars Rebellion.**

**Missile Friagtes are the ones from the Starfighter and Jedi Starfighter games.**

**Escort carriers are the Quasar Bluk Cruisers, in Star Wars Rebellion and Truce at Bakura. Just put Flurry into Wookieepedia and it will come up. **

**Kaloth battle cruisers are in Spectre of the Past and I Jedi.**

**Marauder Frigates are in Empire at War as well. **

**Bulk Cruisers are in Rebellion as well, so put in bulk cruiser into Wookieepedia and go to Neutron Star class**

**Bulk Trasnports are the same as the Wild Karrde. **

**I think thats all the ships covered. What will happen next time in Dark Times? I cant remember.**

**Until next time, please read and review! Oh, it's good to be back!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

22

While Master Ti was away on her jaunt to the Corporate Sector, Admiral Ackdara was in charge, along with the rest of the Council that had been left behind. Leaving the fleet in Argron's capable hands, Ackdara led a small task force to sound out worlds to set up their base on.

Leading from the _Swift_, she took two Carrack cruisers, two Accumulators and a Nebulon B, along with Whie, Serra, Scout and Dark Woman.

As the fleet was left at the edge of the system, Ackdara led the _Swift _as close to the planet as she could get without raising the ire of the Empire and their ilk.

"Try to get us some supplies while you're down there." Ackdara told them as they prepared to leave the ship.

"Admiral!" the captain's voice blared over the comm.

They didn't have to ask what had got his barbells in a knot. Looking outside they saw five warships shoot out of lightspeed.

"Carhac!" Ackdara snarled.

The ship span about as they heard the familiar drone of TIE fighters.

The ship leapt to lightspeed before they were discovered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They shot into the next system, with the fleet staying at the edge and the Jedi taking a shuttle down to the planet.

Ackdara watched them go from her spacious office on board her cruiser. Her blue skin wrinkled as she pursed her lips. She didn't like waiting out here for something to happen. She hoped they would be alright.

She sat tiredly back in her chair. Three years she had commanded from this ship. And now, it looked as though she would be leading an entire Starfleet from the thing. Not that she minded. She was in fact honoured that Master Ti considered her worthy to lead the entire fleet. But the fact that she now had to lead a fleet that was outnumbered, outgunned and outmatched was certainly a sobering prospect. But, she would do it to the best of her ability.

Heaving herself up, Ackdara went to her cabinet and poured herself a glass of brandy. She grinned feebly. She may be outnumbered, but she would try her hardest to take as many of them with her as possible when she finally went.

"Come on Jedi, find us a home." She said.

She finished her brandy, and was just considering having another when the ships dropped out of lightspeed right on top of them.

"Admiral!" her captain yelled from the comm.

She didn't hear as she was on her way to the bridge.

As she entered, she saw organised chaos. Officers ran about, gathering data as she headed straight for her chair.

Her captain, Yonis, saluted her as she sat down.

"What do we have captain?" she asked calmly.

"Four ISDs and an Interdictor." He reported sadly.

"Ah. I think bugger is the term we need about now. Right, let's get to it. Do we know who it is?"

"By the reports, Admiral Screed."

Ackdara snarled.

"Screed. That Schutta. Let's go then. Deploy fighter squadrons."

The eight squadrons the task force had flew out from the Accumulators.

"Mam, they have twenty four squadrons."

"I'm aware of that captain. Can we escape?"

"Not now. The Interdictor's raised it's gravity wells."

Ackdara rolled her eyes.

"Bloody typical. Very well, we shall have to fight our way out. Prepare the fleet for battle."

Officers quickly settled to their stations, and prepared for their orders.

"Signal the _Defence _and the _Protect_ to deploy as many of their spaceworthy gunships as possible. That will take some pressure off our fighters."

"Each Destroyer is launching a squadron mam."

"Thank you Lieutenant. Comm Commander Gharis and tell him to fire away. Meanwhile, tell the fleet to prepare for battle."

"Admiral, priority signal from the Star Destroyer _Invincible_."

"How unfortunate. Put him on screen."

A man with a cybernetic eye path revealed before her.

"Ackdara, old fish. I didn't expect to see you after the Battle of Mon Calamari."

"Screed. You left me and my ship to die, while you and your ships seized the glory for yourself. I never understood why Master Fisto never had you arrested."

"He didn't know."

"That explains a lot."

Screed laughed.

"Ackdara, you are outnumbered and outgunned. I will give you your customary chance to surrender. I would like you to take it. I quite like you, even if I did leave you hanging out to dry."

"I'm sure. Up yours."

She cut the transmission.

"Prepare the fleet."

Yonis bent close to her.

"We can't win."

"You're such a pessimist captain. Prepare for battle."

The TIE squadrons sped at Ackdara, who pursed her lips. Time to change things.

"Signal the gunships and fighters to engage, and have the _Senate_, _Safeguard _and the _Debate_ form up on us. The _Defence _and_ Protect _are to take on the Interdictor."

The twelve gunship squadrons and six fighter squadrons engaged the TIEs as they flew at them, which suited Ackdara perfectly.

"The others are requesting orders mam."

"Thank you ensign. Inform the three ships that we are to head straight for the _Invincible_, and engage it at point blank range."

"Yes mam."

She could feel the crew's uncertainty as they complied. Then, Screed's ships opened fire.

"Power to engine. Get us in close."

The four ships lanced forward, while the two Accumulators kept the Interdictor busy, and the fighters and gunships entertained the TIEs.

"Fire cluster bombs on my order, and tell the Carracks to fire two seconds after have done so. Have the Nebulon fire two seconds after them."

The frigate, backed up by the two Carracks, and followed by the Nebulon, shot in between the first two Star Destroyers, while the other two approached rapidly from in front of them. Off to the side, the Accumulators were going head to head with the Interdictor.

"Fire, now!"

The cluster bombs fired and erupted all along the _Independent _and the _Indomitable_'s shields. A second later, the Carracks and the frigates opened fire with their turbolasers, firing into the small holes made in the shield by the bombs. Fire erupted on the port side of the _Independent_ and on the starboard side of the _Indomitable_.

"Their shields are damaged mam." Someone called.

"Fire cluster bombs again." She said calmly.

This time, the attack caused a lot more damage. The turbolasers on the side of the Destroyer were vaporised as the bombs went off, turning them to molten slag.

"Mam, we've sustained approximately forty percent damage to shields. The _Debate_'s shields are down, the Safeguard's are at eighty percent and the _Senate _is down to thirty percent."

"Thank you."

Fire was spewing from the damaged Star Destroyers, however, the other two were coming straight towards them.

"Take us to the other side of the _Independent_, and fire all the way. Release cluster bombs at ten second intervals."

However, Screed had other ideas, as several TIE squadrons twirled around and came flying at the three ships that were dealing with the Star Destroyers.

"Fighters coming in!" Yonis cried.

"Calm Captain."

"Cluster bombs Admiral?"

"Let them go."

Cluster bombs flew out, and the others opened fire on both the Star Destroyer and the TIEs. Several of the TIEs blew apart, and the bombs travelled onwards and crashed against the shields of the _Independent_. Turbolaser blasts were fired at the four cruisers, who were now going to evasive manoeuvres to avoid the hail of fire from the attacking ships at their rear, blasted into the weakened shield and brought the stern shield down along with the port shield.

"Power to engines."

The four ships lurched forward, away from the Star Destroyers and out of their field of fire, and into the starboard side of the _Independent_'s.

"Same as before gentlemen."

"Mam, the Accumulators are reporting that the shields of the _Irritation _are down."

"Tell them to resort to ion cannon fire, and if they feel up to it, shoot at some of the fighters. Warn them not to hit the engines. We shall be ready for them presently. Meanwhile, have all four ships concentrate all their fire on the bridge tower."

"Mam, the other Destroyer's turbolaser shots are going to get us as soon as they clear the _Independent_. We don't have much left, and one good whack will finish the _Senate_'s and _Safeguard_'s shield, and most likely destroy the _Debate._"

"I am aware of this Commander. Fire on the bridge tower as soon as we have fired off our next round of cluster bombs."

"That's our second last round Admiral."

"I know. Fire, now!"

The cluster bombs were released, and flame erupted from the unshielded parts of the Destroyer. Ackdara knew they had only one more minute, if they were lucky, before the other Star Destroyers could fire at them without hitting their own ship.

"Fire turbolasers, all four ships!"

Turbolaser shots pelted the unshielded Star Destroyer, and the bridge tower was covered in flame.

"Target the bridge and fire at will."

The _Senate _fired the final round into the bridge, and the bridge exploded, and the Star Destroyer started to dip.

"Have the Carracks commence their run on the Star Destroyer's reactor bulb. Have the _Safeguard _form up with us and start firing at the enemy Destroyer."

The two agile ships put their speed to use and shot under the ailing Star Destroyer, just as Screed's other three Destroyers came into full view and fired at the _Swift _and the _Safeguard_.

"Power to shields, and slowly edge us back." Ackdara ordered.

"Mam, at this close range we aren't going to last long under that barrage!"

"Thank you Lieutenant, I know that."

"Mam, may I ask what…?" Yonis said.

He stopped as realisation dawned on his salmon coloured face.

The two Carracks fired their last round into the bulb, and there was then an almighty explosion. The reactor, overstressed by the loss of the bridge and then overheated as a result of the firepower being ploughed into it by the Carracks, had overloaded and exploded, taking the ship with it. Debris scattered in all directions, clipping TIEs and impacting on the shields of the Star Destroyers.

"Excellent job. All ships, fall back to the Accumulators position and focus your tractor beams on the _Irritation_."

The ships did as instructed, just as Screed's forces came through the debris cloud and headed straight for them.

"Admiral, the Interdictor's engines are coming back on line." The captain of the _Defence _said.

"As expected. All craft, fix your tractor beams on the Interdictor and get behind it. Screed won't want to blow up his own ship. And get the fighters behind our line."

The Interdictor was pulling away from the ships that were holding it in place, and waiting for the Star Destroyers to liberate it.

"Mam, it will pull out our tractor beam if it's engines get any further power." An aide said.

"I know that. Tell me when they get full power back into their engines."

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the _Invincible_, Screed was not amused. The loss of the _Independent _would be hard to explain back home. What Ackdara hoped to gain by tractor beaming the Interdictor was anyone's guess. Maybe she meant to steal it. Screed frowned. He had fought with Ackdara, and against her. He knew she would have something up her sleeve. And he wouldn't be happy until she revealed it.

"Mam, the _Indomitable _is coming straight at us, and will be able to fire around the Interdictor in two minutes. It will destroy the two Accumulators and the two Carracks, and cripple the Nebulon. We'll be the only one that is safe." Yonis said.

"It won't get that far." She promised.

"Their engines are at full power!"

The Jedi ships reluctantly began to move forward slowly, pulled along by the Interdictor.

"Why did you order a partial shut down of the engines? It'll destroy the ship!" Yonis cried.

"Watch. Power to engines now!"

The six ships, one minute being pulled along by the Interdictor, suddenly shot forward, making the Interdictor launch forward at a great pace.

"Cut tractor beams!"

The beams shut down, and the captain of the Interdictor had a second or two to realise his mistake. He had all power to engines, so when released from the tractor beam, he would shoot forward. But as Ackdara's force helped him on his way, he had no room to stop when the beams were shut off. As a result, he couldn't stop his ship, or avoid the _Indomitable_.

Screed watched in horror as the Interdictor crunched into the Star Destroyer, consuming both ships in a fiery explosion. The Interdictor hadn't stood a chance, and nor had the Star Destroyer, at least not at that range. The two ships had ran headlong into each other, and now both ships were gone. Yes, this would definitely be very hard to explain back home.

"Sir, should I summon the rest of the fleet?" the captain asked.

"No! Full attack! I want Ackdara dead!"

Ackdara watched in grim satisfaction as the two ships disappeared into their fiery end. Now, there were only two Star Destroyers left. But, she had run out of tricks.

"Mam, the captain of the _Debate _is calling."

"Very well."

Activating her private transmission field, so the rest of the crew wouldn't hear, she listened.

"Yes Captain?"

"The ships's had it Admiral. I'm giving the evacuation code signal. The _Debate _is finished."

Ackdara sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry."

"Also, I'm trapped by a bulkhead, and the crew cant free me. I'm ready to go out with a bang mam. Otherwise it will be the self destruct. I wont let the Imps get their paws back on this ship."

Ackdara moaned.

"I'm sorry Captain."

"You did what you had to. What are your orders? Self destruct, or one last blaze of glory?"

Ackdara looked out of the viewport at the approaching _Invincible_. They couldn't stop the last two Star Destroyers. But, they could stop one.

"If you do exactly as I tell you, I swear I'll bring down the ship you give your life to stop."

"Of course."

So she told him.

The Carrack cruiser, damaged and smoking though it was, gunned its engines.

"Admiral Screed, the _Debate _is coming right for us. It wont kill us, but it will make one hell of a mess, and shatter the shields."

Screed grinned.

"Brace for impact, but unleash all weapons on the _Swift_, and tell the _Integrity _to do the same. Ackdara will die here."

The Carrack shot forward.

"Sad soul." Yonis said.

"Quite. Focus all your firepower on the engines of the Carrack, or at least where they'll be when it hits."

The two Star Destroyers were firing away, brining down the _Protect_'s shields, and further damaging the _Swift_'s.

"Another shot like that and we'll be naked!"

"Calm yourself."

Ackdara watched sadly as the Carrack continued unopposed towards the _Invincible_.

"Recall our fighters."

"There's only three squadrons left mam."

Ackdara sighed.

"Poor people."

Without their opponents, the fighter squadrons of the Empire started screaming towards the cruisers, as the four gunship squadrons and the two fighter squadrons landed back in the Accumulators.

"Admiral!"

The Carrack cruiser hit the Star Destroyer head on, it's nose ploughing into the steadily raised levels of the Star Destroyer that led to the bridge.

"Fire, maximum firepower!"

The turbolaser shots flashed through the holes in the shields, and Ackdara spotted what she needed to see. She grinned.

"Admiral, the ship crashed right over our fuel lines! If they fire…!"

Screed paled.

"Abandon ship!"

He ran to the escape pod outside the bridge, and leapt in, followed by the captain and the second in command.

"We're full!" the captain yelled, and they pulled the door shut and pulled the lever to eject.

The pod shot away from the Destroyer, not a moment too soon.

Ackdara watched as the fire spread in the straight line down the fuel lines, and then exploded out the back of the ship. Five, four, three, two, one and…KABOOM!

The Star Destroyer blasted apart as the fire reached the massive fuel cells behind the reactor and the engines. As the flames reached, the ship blew apart across space, the force of a small nuclear bomb.

Two minutes later, the debris cleared.

"The _Integrity _is collecting fighters and is picking up escape pods. That leaves six squadrons without a home. Most were destroyed in the explosion." Yonis reported.

"The _Integrity _has its fighters and escape pods, and is making the run to lightspeed Admiral."

"Let it go. Fire ion cannon on the remaining TIEs if they don't surrender, and pick up any remaining escape pods."

There was a great whoop of victory as the _Integrity _fled the system. Three Star Destroyers and an Interdictor dead. Not bad for a day's work. Now, they had to consider the cost.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ackdara sat back in her chair in her cabin, the lights dimmed. What a day. Three ISDs and an Interdictor destroyed by a Mon Cal Frigate, a Nebulon, two Accumulators and two Carrack cruisers.

She keyed the comm for General Argron.

The Sullustan's face materialised before her, looking cheerful.

"Admiral! What a nice surprise. You look hellish my dear."

"How kind of you to say so my friend. I've had a productive day."

"Oh yes?"

"I just wiped out three ISDs and an Interdictor."

"Very good. Who's?"

"Screeds."

"Hmm. Could have been a better choice but never mind. Are you nearly finished?"

"Hopefully. After I hang up I'll get on the blower to the Dark Woman and tell her to move her ass of the planet before Screed comes back with friends."

"Good luck Admiral."

"You too."

He disappeared, and she smiled. Her little fight would be the talk of the fleet by the time she got back. She called Dark Woman.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Whie blocked the bolt that was flying at him.

"I don't see how blowing up their library has upset them so much!" Dark Woman called over the din.

Serra threw her sabers, and they used the distraction to disappear.

"We need to get out of here." Dyren said.

"Then get back to the ship, and then to the fleet." Whie said disbelievingly.

The comm beeped.

"Dark Woman."

"Master Jedi, you may have heard that Admiral Screed's fleet has just been attacked. It was me. We need to get out of here." Ackdara said.

"Very well."

Dark Woman cut the link with a scowl.

"Now we really need to go."

"I have an idea." Serra said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The stormtroopers were looking in all the houses on the street for the Jedi. Three of them came into one house, and saw a woman in very little attire.

"Hello boys. Three at once? I can do that."

The clones started to gesture excitedly, and she beckoned them forward. As they came forward excitedly, Dyren dropped down from above them and decapitated them all in one swift stroke.

"Well timed." Serra said as she started to pull off her silks, which only hid the things necessary to preserve her modesty.

"You look… gorgeous." Dyren said.

She smiled at him as she went into the next room and came back two minutes later in her usual attire.

"Are you keeping them?" Dyren asked.

"You think I should?" Serra asked coyly.

"Well yeah. It might get you a boyfriend. I mean, its not as if Master Ti is going to stop anyone falling in love. She was the one on the Council who always wanted it."

Serra smiled fondly.

"I always liked listening at the door when that conflict started. The last Council was the most likely to let it pass actually. Yoda and Coleman Kcaj would have said their piece at the very end, when they were sure of how the voting would go, Masters Windu, Tiin, Allie and Kolar all would have been against, while Masters Ti, Mundi, Kenobi, Fisto, Koon and the traitor all voted for."

Dyren grinned.

"Ki would have voted because he was married, Skywalker because he was doing Senator Amidala, Obi Wan because he did Siri Taichi before she died, Master Ti because she was doing Master Koon and vice versa, and Master Fisto as he was doing Aayla Secura. I was always surprised Stass Allie never joined their side. She wasn't as strict as her cousin was."

"Yeah, but she thought it was weird that Master Gallia and Nym started playing around with each other. Yoda always amazed me though. He had the cheek to do Master Yaddle and then not vote to allow love. Mind you, she was worse. She was firmly against it, the hypocrite."

"Our Council should allow it actually. Master Ti's in charge, so she has a more influential vote. Masters K'kruhk and Jeisel will be for it, so will Saa and Tholme, Master Exaz is a softy at heart so she'll join in too. The only one who would really oppose it is Dark Woman. The rest would see at the end."

Serra nodded.

"Come on, let's get to the shuttle, before we get left behind."

The others had gone on ahead while Serra had distracted the clones.

"What did you mean, I could get a boyfriend? You don't think I could get one?" Serra asked.

Dyren blushed.

"No! You could probably get any number of boyfriends but…"

"But what?"

Dyren suddenly kissed her, forcing her into an alcove while he did so. A squad of clones ran past, and they broke apart.

"That was close." Dyren breathed.

Serra took a deep breath and looked at him.

"What was that?" she demanded.

"A distraction so the clones wouldn't recognise us." Dyren said as he led the way to the shuttle.

Serra grinned.

"So, that's why you were getting so flustered? You like me."

Dyren shot her a look with no venom in it.

"You do don't you?"

"Maybe just a little bit."

Serra burled him around and kissed him.

A minute later they broke apart for air.

"I take it you like me then?" Dyren asked, shaking his long hair out of his eyes.

"A little bit." She said playfully.

He kissed her again.

"Dyren!"

"Oh oh." He said as they saw the Dark Woman coming towards her.

"What were you doing to that girl?"

"You stupid woman! Can you not see that she was having an asthma attack and I was reviving her using mouth to mouth?"

To add to the effect, Serra started to breathe heavily.

"Oh sorry dear, I didn't know she was asthmatic. Come on let's get out of here."

She led the way to the shuttle, satisfied with their answer.

"Is it me, or is it ridiculously easy to fool her?" Serra asked.

Dyren grinned and dragged her to the ship.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They reached the _Swift _without further incident, and they met in Ackdara's quarters, where the kindly Admiral poured them all a brandy, even one for Whie and Scout.

"So, another dead end." Ackdara said sadly.

"I wouldn't say it's a dead end Admiral. You did wipe out an Imperial fleet." Serra said happily.

Ackdara sighed.

"That is not the point my dear girl. Though that certainly upsets the dear Emperor and poor Admiral Screed, it doesn't help us find a new home, which we greatly need if we are to make any sort of war against the Empire. We need a proper place to stay."

Whie sipped his brandy.

"What now then? Back to the fleet?" Dark Woman asked hopelessly.

They had failed in their mission. No place to stay. The Lyseera system was sparsely populated, with on the world of Lyseera and a massive nebula to it's name. The Imperial presence was explained by the fact that Lyseera produced both proton and concussion missiles.

He looked out at the glowing pink nebula.

Then it hit him.

"The nebula!"  
They all looked at him.

"What?" Dyren asked, concerned about his mentality.

"The nebula. If we can put a few asteroids into there, we'll have a base."

Ackdara smiled at the boy.

"Well done. Master Ti should watch out for you."

She commed the bridge.

"Captain Yonis, tell the other ships to go back to the fleet. Then set your course for that nebula."

She commed off.

"Bring me a home my dears."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The frigate dropped out of lightspeed in the heart of the nebula. In front of them, a large moon was floating.

"Well done Whie." Dark Woman said.

Whie however wasn't listening as he was finishing a drawing. Ackdara walked behind him, then stopped.

"And what's this young one?"

Whie looked at the Admiral and blushed.

"Just pictures of ships I would like to see, that's all."

Ackdara took the paper away from him, put on her glasses and looked at the piece of paper.

"These look quite interesting young one. Seven ship types. All with different specs. Tell me about them."

Dark Woman shrugged at Serra, Dyren and Scout, who had just arrived.

"Well, the biggest one is the _Retaliation _class Command Ship. It carries twenty fighter squadrons, ten assault regiments, is 19 kilometres long and can take on six Star Destroyers without trouble. The next one is the _Revenge _class Cruiser, and that can take on an ISD, carry four fighter squadrons and three regiments. It's the same size as a Star Destroyer. The _Vengeance _class cruiser can take on a VSD, carries two squadrons and one regiment, and is the same size as a VSD. The _Payback _class carrier can carry twelve fighter squadrons and is seven hundred metres long, but the only thing it can take on is an escort carrier. The _Retribution _class transport carries eight regiments, is one hundred metres in length and can take on a Tartan Cruiser. The _Avenger _class frigate can carry a fighter squadron and a regiment, and can take on a Broadside, though it is meant for attacking fighters, and its five hundred metres long. The last one is the _Reprisal _class Interdictor, which is three hundred metres long, can carry a squadron and can take on an Interdictor cruiser. That's it really. I just felt like drawing."

Ackdara smiled.

"You have quite the imagination little one. I suspect we could build these, if we jiggled things a bit. I have one complaint: you haven't designed a fighter squadron. If these ships are made and come out how you say, they would be welcome additions to the fight against the Empire. Tell you what, come to my office at eight o'clock, and we'll go over the designs, and we can see if we can teak them so we can build them. And I want some fighter ideas by then too."

Whie nodded, and Ackdara gave him back his paper and went to the viewport. The Jedi shrugged and joined her.

"A moon, ready for our use." Ackdara said happily.

"Mam, they're hailing us." Yonis said.

"Put it through."

"Come to finish us off Imp scum!" a man yelled in an anguished voice.

"No. This is Admiral Ackdara of the Jedi fleet. Who is this?"

"Toller. Captain Toller. You aren't the Empire?"

"No. Thankfully. Tell you what captain. You let an emissary come over, and we'll talk, and bring aid and food etcetera. Deal?"

"Deal."

She turned to Yonis.

"Prepare my shuttle."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ten minutes later, Ackdara's Sharkfin Shuttle docked on the moon.

Toller, it transpired, was an aging man with wispy grey hair.

"So, you aint the Empire then."

"No. We're representatives of the Jedi rebellion, under Master Shaak Ti. I am Admiral Ackdara, Supreme Commander of all military forces of our rebellion. And you are?"

"Signworth Toller. I lead whats left of us."

Dark Woman frowned.

"Toller. Wasn't that the name of the ship designer at the Rotana shipyards?"

He winked.

"That's me."

"So, what happened here?" Ackdara asked as they started to walk.

"They came out of nowhere. A fleet of six VSDs. We were gearing up, ready for a run on a planet so we could get some supplies. The fleet came out of lightspeed, blasted up all our ships, disabled our weapons, looted the place and left."

"This is a pirate base?" Serra asked.

"Yeah, it was. We had three Dreadnaughts, four Tartan cruisers and five Carrack cruisers three months ago. We were the scourge of this area of space. Then, the Imps showed up and ended it all. They opened areas of the moon to space, killing hundreds. There was a time when there was about five thousand pirates on this moon, and about ten thousand floating around in the ships. Every malcontent, every criminal, every person who wanted to fight the establishment came here to us. Now, you're lucky if there's one thousand of us left."

Ackdara nodded sadly. She had heard of the Lyseera Sector pirates, and how they attacked up and down the trade routes. She supposed the leader of the pirates must have been one of the Pirate Lords she had heard of.

"I thought it was that every major pirate gang had a Venator?" she asked.

"Used to have one. We lost it fighting General Grievous when he attacked here. The only ship we lost, and it was our command ship. Now, the Lyseera Pirates are finished, and someone in the Minos Cluster is the ninth Pirate Lord now. The biggest ship we have left now is an ARC 170."

It was a tragic tale, one that was all too frequent with the new Empire.

"Tell you what Captain Toller. If you allow us to come here, and make this our base, we'll bring you into our rebellion. You'll be able to strike back against the Empire, and I'm sure Master Ti can think of something to do with a man of your expertise. Your crew would be a welcome addition to our fleet. So, what do you say? A home for revenge?"

Toller grinned and shook her hand.

"It'll be a pleasure."

She beamed at him.

"Excellent. First, I must return to the fleet, and then figure out some way to get the entire fleet here without being seen by the Empire. But, hold out. We wont be long."

"I eagerly anticipate your return."

"Good. I will see you soon. However, until we return, you can use as much of the aid package as you like."

"Shall do."

The headed back to Ackdara's shuttle. She then turned.

"Out of interest, what ship was in command of the attack force?"

"One called the _Execrutix_."

Ackdara snarled.

"Tarkin."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two days later, the _Swift _arrived at the rendezvous point, to see that the fleet had grown a fair bit in their absence.

"Admiral Ackdara, welcome home." General Argron chirped from the comm of the _Justice_.

"Thank you General. My, Master Ti has been busy. How many ships?"

"Forty three new ones Admiral."

"That's excellent. Right, request that Master Ti immediately come to my quarters, and you, Variya, Qual and Kryn can all come too. We have a lot of things to discuss."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, Admiral Ackdara had learned of the exploits in the Corporate Sector and of the recent additions to the fleet, and the others had in turn learned of the home she had found for them.

"The problem will be getting to it. If we bring the entire fleet in at once, we're bound to be noticed. After my antics, Screed will have returned, and he'll have brought friends. We cant infiltrate the system slowly as it's a sparsely populated sector and it will eventually be noticed. So my friends, we have a problem."

Shaak Ti frowned.

"What we need is a diversion. If we can get the Imps to look one way, we can slip the rest of the fleet in when they aren't looking."

Argron nodded enthusiastically.

"That's an idea. But to make it seem convincing, there would have to be a couple of attacks, all with the same tactics. I assume when we go in, we're going to want to take out long range communications to stop them alerting Vader and the Emperor. So, other worlds must suffer the same fate."

"He has a point. But I think we can do this. It's just a question of how." Variya said.

"The main problem is Screed's reinforcements. Once we know their strength, we shouldn't have a problem." Kryn said.

"I have a plan. One that will enable us to get in without arousing suspicion, infuriate the Empire, and get us supplies to boot." Argron said.

"Carry on General." Ackdara said.

"Right. The objective is to get the fleet into the nebula near Lyseera. That's the largest worry, because if we're spotted, the Empire will find us and come for us. So, the first goal is to wipe out their long range communications ability. A task force of quick ships such as Carrack cruisers and Corvettes will streak into the system, after receiving a conformation from the rest of the fleet going to the nebula that they're ready. They will streak into the system and wipe out their long range communications and sensors. That thus prevents them from discovering us and also from alerting Vader and the Emperor to what we're up to. Captain Variya will then take her task force into the system, so the people on the ground there are preoccupied with her arrival. Just before she arrives, two task forces will attack nearby planets and perform the same tactics, so we don't draw attention to ourselves and also to draw the Imps away from Lyseera itself. With the depleted task force, Variya will claim that she's there hunting smugglers and will raise her gravity well generators. The Imps, being stupid, will not think this remotely suspicious. A task force of heavy cruisers will then get under way. They will be brought out of lightspeed and assault the planet. We will go down, take out the weapon emplacements, rob the bank and the missile factories and steal the TIEs from their hangars to use as our own. We then use an Accumulator to land on the planet and get all the military hardware in their base into the ship and it leaves. We'll have a half hour window in which to get in, get supplies and get out. After half an hour, and before actually engaging whatever the Imps throw at them, the other two task forces will leave their planets and will head to the nebula, as will the quick attack force and the rest of the fleet as the Imps will all be too concerned with our attack on Lyseera. While we finish the forces at Lyseera and shoot the place up, we wait for the Imps to arrive from wherever they were, and then put our feet down. We shoot along the edge of the planet, and get behind the moon, which will block all sensors. We will then jump to lightspeed and head for the nebula in an arc. After we remove the primary reason the Empire has for being in the sector, they will either scale down their forces, which would suit us, increase them, which would also be helpful as we can pinch their ships and supplies from supply convoys, or will leave Lyseera altogether. Any way, we win and they lose."

He finished and looked at them expectantly.

"General, that is, without a doubt…"

Argron cringed.

"The best we have ever had in our little revolt. They're normally total crap. This is the first good plan. And with a bit of jiggling, we can make it better. It will all be timing, which is a problem. Comm takes time to travel, and the Imps could intercept the transmission."

"Not if we use Jedi. We can communicate through the Force." Shaak Ti said.

"I believe we need to fix this only a little General. So, let's put our heads together and see what we can come up with."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two hours later, it was all decided. Argron would lead the force actually going into the nebula. Ackdara would attack the planet, while Kree and Qual attacked two others. Meanwhile Colonel Kryn would move to take over one of the fast ships. Exaz would be with Argron, by the latter's special request, Tsui would be with Kree by his request, Dark Woman would go with Qual, Tra with Variya, Luminara with Kryn and Shaak Ti herself with Ackdara. The various task forces all formed up at their assigned coordinates.

"All groups, report in." Argron said from the Consular Cruiser

"Red group standing by." Ackdara reported.

"Blue group, standing by for orders." Kryn said from the Carrack cruiser _Senate_.

"Pink group, much to my loathing, is ready for orders." Qual said from the Nebulon frigate _Spectrum_.

"Purple group ready." Variya said.

"Green group reporting in." Kree said from his Venator, _Piracy_.

"Orange group is also ready. All forces, assume attack coordinates." Argron said.

"Launch marks. Green group, five minutes. Pink group, eight minutes. Blue group, ten minutes. Purple group ten minutes. Red group, fifteen minutes." Argron said.

Timing was still very important. Argron looked at Exaz.

"Orange group is ready to go, as am I." she said happily.

"Excellent. Start your clocks."

The time passed in silence. At five minutes, Kree's task force shot away to the nearby planet of Doovistal. Three minutes later, Qual's force shot away to the nearby planet of Kyrtinia. Two minutes after that, Variya and Kryn's task force shot away. Then, five minutes afterward, Ackdara's force left.

"Well, it's begun. Now, we wait for them to make contact, and hope for the best." Argron said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kree sat in the command chair, strumming his fingers.

"Seemingly, the place where we're going is an old pirate base." Tsui said.

"Yeah. I heard the Lyseera Pirates got whacked. Shame that. I always worried they would try and muscle in on the Corporate Sector, but they had enough troubles up here. Pity they were wiped out. It's been years since the pirates were unified."

"Indeed. Though I don't recall you ever making a mess enough to get us after you."

"Well, my lot wouldn't. We were in the Corporate Sector, which is separate from the Republic. Some of them fought with your lot though, especially the more ambitious ones. Some of them fought with two or three Jedi during the war, when some hotshot named Skywalker blew up the mothership."

Tsui nodded.

"Skywalker was a good pilot."

Kree grinned.

"Served him right though. Now he's got you lot after him."

Tsui stared.

"What, you thought you were the only ones who knew Vader is Skywalker? Na nah. I got sources Jedi."

Tsui smiled bemusedly.

"Apparently."

Kree winked.

"Cap'n we're coming up on Doovistal!" Skyn, Kree's Chagrian second in command, yelled.

The task force, a fleet in its own right as it was all the ships Kree had brought with him, dropped out of lightspeed.

"I'd be launching fighters." Kree said.

"Okeday!" Bobo, a Gungan shouted.

"Tell the _Danger_, the _Fearful_, the _Light _and the _Missile _to take out the long range comms, and have the _Bold _generate gravity field generators. That way we can ambush any Imps that arrive. Get to it!"

While the two Corvettes and two Gunships shot off to fight the long range comm, and the CC7700 generated gravity fields, the rest of the fleet lanced into the system.

"Boss, there'd be fighters coming up from the planet!" Skyn called.

"Get the fighters to shoot them then! We got any cruisers?"

"No boss." Boryna, a female human said.

"Good. Then let's shoot some things on the planet, and turn the fleet around ready to receive the Imps. We'll give em a proper welcome!"

Tsui grinned. He quite liked the idea of being a pirate. He sent a Force message, then got ready to watch the show.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The _Spectrum _lanced into the Kyrtinia system, the rest of the ships backing it up. Qual turned to his lieutenant.

"What do we have?" he asked.

"An ISD sir. Name of _Injunction_. The rest of the ships are requesting orders."

Dark Woman glanced at him.

"We can take an ISD." She said.

"I know. Very well lieutenant. Deploy all fighter squadrons, and take us in to engage the Star Destroyer. Have the three Mon Cal frigates flank it, and have the Sep ships do the same. Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet will engage it head on. Oh, and have the _Tyvokka _blow up the long range comms. Then have it join us with the attack."

He smiled at Dark Woman, who sent the Force message.

"Prepare for battle people. And for victory."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Luminara received the message loud and clear.

"Both forces have engaged the enemy, and long range comms and sensors are down. We're good to go." She reported.

They were on the Carrack cruiser _Senate_, which was quite a departure from the _Millionaire_, which was where Kryn usually was.

"Very well. All ships, go."

The task force only had a small jump to the transmitter. Two minutes later, they shot out of lightspeed. Right on top of an ISD.

"Bugger!" Kryn yelled.

"Sithspit." Luminara cursed, with a little more decorum than Kryn had managed.

"Do we retreat captain?" a crewman asked.

"The other ships are requesting orders. The ISD is deploying fighters, and is sending a message."

"Jam it's transmissions. This is the key to the entire operation. We need to take down the transmitter."

"We don't have the firepower to take on an ISD!" Luminara shouted hysterically.

"I know. Tell the force. Prepare to attack."

"What? Are you nuts!?"

"Perhaps. Deploy our fighter squadrons."

"A whole four may I remind you Colonel." Luminara said waspishly.

"That's what the _Compass Point _is for. Have it draw the fighters away from the cruisers, and have that and the fighters shoot at the TIEs. All other ships, prepare for battle."

The Star Destroyer, named _Insidious_, was letting loose with its turbolasers.

"And hope for the best." Kryn muttered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tra's eyes opened.

"We have a problem. Blue group has run into an ISD." She said.

Variya hissed.

"Not good. That could throw the entire operation."

"Shall I request orders?"

Variya considered.

"No. We'll do our best with what we've got. We're only five minutes away anyway. Hopefully Master Luminara can convince General Argron to send a couple of VSDs to the rescue."

Tra doubted it. Having the ships arrive from so close by would blow the operation. She could only hope Luminara and Kryn came up with a clever idea to accomplish their mission.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Deploy all available craft, shuttles, landers, everything we have in our hangars. Anything that can fly in space, I want out there fighting that Destroyer.

"Sir, forgive me for asking, but why do we need to fight it? All we need to do is take out the transmitter."

Luminara smiled grimly.

"Because if we don't, the Destroyer will just act as backup for the transmitter, and the entire scheme will be worse than useless."

"All ships deployed Colonel. We're outgunned sir."

"I know."

"The captain of the Destroyer is demanding we surrender."

That of course, ignited Kryn's Shistaven blood.

"Never! All power to weapons, and open fire with everything we've got on their bridge!"

The small ships shot towards the immense Star Destroyer, firing as they went.

The _Insidious _however, had other ideas and opened fire with everything it had. Green bolts flashed in at the smaller ships, and broke through the shields of the _Silver Blade _and sent it careening off to the side.

"Ship shot to poodoo again."

"See? It isn't just Shaak Ti who's a curse on the thing." Luminara said cheerfully.

The turbolasers of the Destroyer were firing overtime, determined to wipe out its attackers. The problem was the smaller ships were outmatched. True, they had the numbers, but not the weapons to go with it. The _Insidious_ was pumping blasts all around space.

Then Luminara saw how they could do it.

"When need to go under."

"Eh?"

"If we go under it, the ship wont be able to fire at us, and we can get into the ship via the…"

"Hangar!"

Kryn turned and snogged Luminara on the mouth.

"You're a genius!"

"Oh my."

"You heard the lady. We can kill the thing. Take us under!"

The ships all peeled off their attack and shot under the ship. However, the commander of the _Insidious _ordered the TIEs to follow them.

"Not good." Luminara moaned.

"Now!" Kryn said.

With a flurry of red bolts, the cannons of the _Compass Point _let loose in a massive barrage of red.

"I never knew Tartans could fire like that." Luminara said.

"It's designed to wipe out a lot of fighters at once. Watch."

True enough, the six squadrons were reduced to three as the ship stopped firing.

"Excellent." Luminara said happily.

"Finish them fighters. _Compass Point_, you're with the rest of the cruisers."

True enough, the _Insidious _couldn't fire at them as much when they were underneath.

"Is the _Silver Blade _on line yet?" Kryn asked.

"No sir."

"Then we get to snare the prey. All power to shields and engine please Lieutenant. And take us into the hangar. Be prepared for possible resistance. All other ships are to fire on the hangar shields, because if they're still up when we want out, we'll go down with it. Now, get us an angle so we wont splatter ourselves on the shields, and let's go kill a Destroyer!"

Luminara sighed bemusedly.

"He's mad." She stated, certain they would get killed.

All the other ships opened fire with their weapons, making the shield flicker.

"Now!"

The Carrack cruiser lurched forward and sliced through a flicker in the shields, and balancing out inside the ship.

"Excellent! Now we're in the belly of the beast! Fire at will!" Kryn encouraged.

The cruiser, safely inside the hangar of the _Insidious _opened fire, it's lasers blasting apart shuttles, killing troops as they ran out with weapons emplacements and blowing apart missile racks.

"Further! Into the gut of the prey!" Kryn yelled.

"This is madness! You're in a bloody cruiser, not a fighter!" Luminara yelled, close to hysteria.

The crew however were on his side, and gunned the engines. The ship shot up the corridor of the Destroyer, firing its weapons all the way, and getting close to the engines.

"Sir, we're running out of room!"

"Keep on going!"

"Are you suicidal!?" Luminara demanded.

The Carrack suddenly shot through an open bulkhead, right into the engine room. Astonished crewmembers gaped up at them.

"Kryn…?" Luminara asked timidly, pointing as the fuel lines.

"Well spotted. Fire!"

Laser bolts fired from all cannons on the ship, rupturing the fuel lines and blowing holes in the engines.

"That probably wont kill it, but it should leave a mark. Were missiles mounted on the ship as I ordered?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now, look for the shaft that leads to the main reactor please."

"Found it sir."

"Then fire a missile into and be done. And then get us the hell out of here!"

Around them fuel was igniting in a fiery waterfall as it was lit by the laser fire. The engines were venting dangerous gases as they were ruptured open, and the fire was spreading throughout the fuel lines. When it finally hit the fuel cells, it would be the end of it.

"Fire the missile, and let's go!"

"Sir we cant turn round!"

"Then reverse!"

The missile plummeted down the appointed tunnel, and the _Senate _raced backwards, firing all the way, blowing holes throughout the interior of the Star Destroyer as a massive stream of fire came up towards them.

"Move the task force away from the _Insidious_." Luminara ordered.

The Carrack reversed out at great speed, crushing two TIEs which were foolish enough to be waiting for them. Fire blazed out of the tunnel they had jjust come through. They reversed to the fighter hangar, dipped down, and then plunged out of the hangar as the shield collapsed, and the flames shot across where they had been a second before, following them out the hangar. Outside, the fuel cells ignited and blasted a massive hole in the Star Destroyer's back end, and the missile hit the reactor. The two explosions combined, and with one last massive, death defying explosion, the _Insidious _detonated in it's apocalyptic death.

The _Senate _was surrounded by flame, but burst through the fire with a last bout of speed.

"YEEHAH!" Kryn yelled.

The crew whooped in victory as the ship joined the other members of the task force.

"That, was excellent Colonel. Truly inspiring. Another one of Screed's ISDs bites the dust."

"Thank you Master Luminara. And you said I was suicidal."

"You're reckless, but not suicidal. I stand corrected." She said cheerfully.

Kryn laughed throatily, then turned to his second.

"Damage?"

"We got a little cooked sir, and the _Silver Blade _is still out of action, and the _Currency _and the _Risk _took some of the explosion, but will be alright soon. And we miraculously lost no fighters. Aside from that sir, we're good to go."

Kryn looked at the other two damaged Carracks.

"Have them slaved to us captain, and we'll take them home, which we can now do."

"Um, Colonel, you're forgetting the transmitter." Luminara pointed out.

"Whoops! Thank the Force the explosion will have scrambled it. All craft, fire on it and lets go home."

Two minutes later, the transmitter was down, the fighters stored and the damaged ships tractor beamed. They then jumped to lightspeed to the staging point of orange group, having completed their mission.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the _Meerkat _and it's task force dropped out of lightspeed, it was to see three Star Destroyers shoot past them and leap to lightspeed, all destined for different places.

"Looks like the others will run into trouble." Variya said.

"Blue group already has…" Tra began, and then stopped, and smiled.

"What?" Variya asked.

"I don't know how they did it, but Kryn's group has wiped out a Star Destroyer."

"Eh?"

"I don't know how, Luminara said she would explain later. However, we have our own mission to sort out."

"Indeed."

"They're hailing us mam."

"Cruiser _Sucker_, this is Admiral Screed of the Star Destroyer _Integrity_. What is your business here?"

Variya grinned. She had always rather liked Screed, and it was very unfortunate that he had been stuck out here, and now lost four ISDs and an Interdictor. Served him right for going against them.

"Nothing to worry about Admiral. I'm here chasing several smugglers that are causing more trouble than they're worth. Pay me no mind. I'll have them within an hour and be gone within two."

"Would you like assistance, Captain Variya?"

"I'll give you a buzz if I need help."

"As you desire."

The comm ended.

"Bring up the gravity fields, and Master Saa will tell us when they are close."

"Prepare yourself Captain."

She nodded.

"Get all crews ready to launch. Admiral Ackdara wont be happy if we're late."

She made herself comfy. This was going to be fun.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Screed looked out at Variya's ships. He rather liked her. A fine woman. Odd for her to command such a taskforce, which few women could do.

"Sir, there's a report from a beacon. It's been destroyed but it sent this before…"

Screed looked at the screen.

**ISD Insidious destroyed by rebel forces. Request rein….**

Screed sagged.

"Another ship gone. The Emperor is going to have my head on a platter!"

"You may be spared that sir."

"What makes you say so?"

"That." He said, pointing.

Screed wanted to burst into tears. A fleet of eleven cruisers had jumped out of lightspeed, most of which were capable of taking on an ISD. And they were deploying fighters.

"Sir, priority message from HQ. The _Meerkat_'s an enemy! It's defected!"

True enough, Variya was deploying ships that weren't hers.

"Captain, if we get out of this alive, I intend to move to Dantooine, and live out the rest of my days as a goat. The situation warrants only one word: BUGGER!"

"Shall I call for reinforcements?"

Screed laughed grimly

"I have a suspicion that I was right that the Jedi would assault the sector. I expect all the other ships are in trouble too. No one will respond captain. We're on our own. So, take us in, and let's make as much mess as possible before the end."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ackdara smiled as the fleet dropped out of lightspeed right on schedule. For the first time, they could actually beat an inferior enemy. Let's see how the Imps liked it. Thirty five squadrons against the twelve of the _Integrity _and the _Indecisive_. And the Imps were severely outgunned.

"Pick your targets gentlebeings, and open fire. And tell the freighters to prepare for their runs, and get the _Alternative _ready to go to the planet once the _Bearing _has taken out their weapon emplacements. And have the _Zaalbar_ and the _Last Call _fire ion cannons at their hangars and command centre."

Yonis complied.

"And now Master Ti, the Battle of Lyseera begins."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Argron smiled. It was all going nearly swimmingly. The attack of the _Insidious _at the transmitter for blue group had been a bit of a nuisance, however, aside from that, it wall all going well. All they needed now was Shaak Ti's conformation that they had engaged the entire sector force and they could go.

"How many ships does he have again?" Argron asked Jehmit.

"Eleven all told sir. Admiral Ackdara has already wiped out four. We're lucky she did, or we wouldn't have been able to do this."

"Not in as much detail anyway. So, ten ISDs. What's so important about Lyseera and the two surrounding worlds?"

"They're jump points to Muunilust I suppose, and the Core if you go along the Hydian Way." Exaz said.

"And the missile factory on Lyseera." Jehmit added.

The ships's gunner, Beedee, a Klatoonian, nodded.

"And there's a TIE Fighter Construction Factory on Kyrtinia, and a listening outpost and Ubiqtorate Base on Doovistal."

"A lot of firepower for such a small sector." Exaz commented.

"Seemingly to protect against outward invasion." Argron sighed.

"I wonder if there is life out there?" Jehmit mused.

"I don't care, as long as it's friendly. We have enough problems at the moment." Exaz said, twitching her ears.

"A message?"

"Yes. We're a Star Destroyer short. There's two at Lyseera, one headed for Kyrtinia, one for Doovistal and another one. Where else can it be going?"

"I believe I can answer that question." Jehmit said.

"Where?" Argron asked, turning to him.

"Here!" he cried, pointing out of the window as a Star Destroyer named _Incomprehensible _sped out of lightspeed.

"Shit." Exaz chirped.

"All craft, emergency battle stations. Jam all communications. We hit it hard and fast, before it can escape the gravity well of the nebula. Have the _Mystery_, _Reliant _and _Picket _give covering fire and attack it from afar, and get the _Yoda_, _Saesee Tiin _and _Mace Windu _to go head to head. Have the _Talentless _fire missiles at it, and move all transports and dungeon ships away. All Judicial cruisers are to fire missiles at it on my command, and have the _Kit Fisto_, _Agen Kolar_ and _Stass Allie _come up behind us and focus all their firepower on the hole we make in their shields." Argron ordered, gunning the engines of the Judicial cruiser.

"Damn Star Destroyers." Exaz said as the three Dreadnaughts opened fire on the Destroyer from afar, and the Marauder cruiser _Talentless _let loose with a barrage of missiles.

The six Jedi named ships that Master Ti had bought in the Corporate Sector all surged towards the ISD, firing turbolasers and ion cannons. Argron's Judicial cruisers then swooped in at the ship, firing missiles and lasers at the bow of the Star Destroyer. Behind them, the three Venators, the _Kit_, _Agen _and the _Stass _gave them supporting fire, while the _Yoda_, _Mace _and _Saesee _attacked from left, right and above. Missiles impacted against the _Incomprehensible _'s shields, and then the Judicials fired their own round of missiles to back up those from the Marauder. Fire blossomed over the shields, and a sudden firestorm of turbolaser fire from all the ships in the task force punched through the shields and blew chunks out of the Star Destroyer. Missiles from the VSDs and Judicials crashed against the Destroyer's hull, venting more and more oxygen into space and ripping the Destroyer apart.

"All craft, fire at will!" Argron ordered.

Missiles and turbolaser beams crashed against the hull of the dagger like warship, and with one last fire of its cannons, it bowed to the inevitable and shut down, fire spouting from several places on the ship, and lights winking out all over the hull.

"Damage to the enemy ship?"

"Dead in space sir. Shields and weapons are gone, engines are out, and life support gone. Should we try to take it for our own?" Jehmit asked.

"After the beating we just gave it? It would take months to repair. Tell all ships to prepare their shuttles, try and get a message to them and tell the survivors that we will take them back to neutral space. Mind you, see if we can nick their fighters. As they didn't launch any, with any luck they'll still be in one piece."

"Yes sir."

"Not a bad day. Two ISDs dead, and if the others do their job right, it will be many more." Exaz said cheerily.

"Quite. Now, let's get the fleet ready to go into the nebula. All we need to do now is get all the survivors of the Destroyer before we do, then we're in the clear."

Exaz nodded.

"And we'll have a home."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kree was waiting, rather impatiently, for the ISD that he was sure that was coming to arrive.

He didn't have long to wait.

An ISD by the name of _Incapable _leapt out of lightspeed.

"Excellent. Have the Missile Frigates prepare to fire." Kree said.

Tsui thought about it.

"A missile frigate's array wont pierce through its shields."

Kree conceded the point.

"Not a normal one, me hearty. But these'd be modified."

Tsui watched the frigates in interest, as they moved into position.

"Desa _Incapable _isa launching itsa TIEs." Bobo reported.

Tsui was amazed by what he saw in the frigates. A missile bank reared up from the hull of the ship, and one on top of that. Four of these sets of launchers shot up from the hull, and then two smaller ones rose up from the bridge and it's undercarriage.

"What the…?"

"Watch. Fire all three levels."

Hundreds of missiles streaked out of the two missile frigates and crashed through the shields of the Star Destroyer, opening up holes all over it's front. Still the barrage continued, with the turbolasers being blown apart, the communications arrays melting and the bridge spewing out fire.

"Sir, it's dead in space." Skyn said.

"Good. Finish it."

Another barrage of missiles streaked from the ships, this time backed up by turbolasers. There was little more to see as the missiles hit, and the ship went nova, scattering itself across the stars.

"Round up the rest of the fighters, then call ours in and let's head for our new home." Kree said gleefully.

"How was that possible?" Tsui asked.

"We modified them so they could take on any heavy cruiser. They fire around two hundred and eighty eight missiles at a time. The Destroyer didn't stand a chance."

"They are fantastic Captain. I assume we're finished here?"

"As soon as the fighters are finished off, yes. Then we can join Argron."

Tsui smiled.

"Ackdara will want more of them."

Kree laughed.

"She'll have to get in the queue. I want more first."

Tsui laughed, and they watched as the fighters finished off the TIEs.

"Sir, we're reading several walkers and the such like on the planet. Should we go get them?" Boryna asked.

Kree looked at Tsui, who grinned.

"That is a very good idea."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Taking a small task force, Tsui landed on the planet. Ubiqtorate bases were bases for Imperial Intelligence, so weren't highly defended.

"Remember folks, the plan is to take their speeders and walkers, not blow the up." Tsui said.

Grolawn, a massive black Wookiee, roared in approval, and they dashed out of their shuttle, Tsui deflecting their shots. He then sprang to the centre of the lone stormtrooper squad on the planet and proceeded to decimate them. However, there were several squads of military personnel to deal with. Grolawn was the one to do that, as the massive Wookiee led his squad of six other Wookiees into the fray, knocking troops all over the place. The pirate troops surged forward, Tsui leading them, as the army personnel surrendered or died. Ten minutes later, it was all over, and they had gained three ATSTs, two armed landspeeders and four speeder bikes.

"That helps a bit." Tsui said happily.

(We certainly need more ground forces.) Grolawn howled.

(And we have gained three more shuttles.) an auburn Wookiee said.

The Intelligence operatives were being rounded up and forced onto a small, derelict looking shuttle which would take them back to Imperial space. All other things in the base, all weapons, supplies, bacta and parts were being taken.

"Not a bad day, all in all." Tsui said.

(And may we have many more.)

"Amen to that my friend."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Qual's taskforce laid fire into the _Injunction_. While the three Mon Cal frigates pummelled the Destroyer with their lasers and their cluster bombs, the Hutt frigates went up the side of the ship, blasting it with it's heavy lasers. The Wookiee frigates streaked across the top of the ship, firing up the prow of the ship as they travelled up to the bridge. They then bombarded the sides of the bridge, venting areas into space. The Nebulons then attacked from the two sides and from above, crippling the ship as the other frigates blasted away at the ship from afar. With fire gushing from its multiple wounds, and the barrage still continuing, the Star Destroyer then started to break up into three separate parts, and with one last wrench, the ship collapsed into pieces, allowing the frigates to blast the parts to bits.

"Scratch one ISD! Qual said happily.

"You wont be so happy in a second Captain."

"How so?"

"Another Star Destroyer has arrived." Dark Woman answered, pointing to the colossal vessel.

"All craft, emergency procedures! Let's take them head on!" Qual ordered.

The frigates turned around and headed towards the Star Destroyer, firing as they did so. The _Incapable_ had other ideas however, and opened fire its turbolasers.

"Sir, if we get them before they launch their fighters…"

"I know. Have all fighters prepare two missiles, one to fire at will, the second five seconds afterward. That should cause one hell of a mess. Have all the cruisers put all their power to forward shields and weapons, and lets give them a damn good kicking."

The fighters streaked past, firing their missiles, which did little against the shields of the Star Destroyer. However, the second wave broke through the shields, blowing apart several weapon emplacements, and one pilot even had the good sense to blow up the deflector shield domes.

"Hmm. Interesting. Multiple missile hits can overload their shields. A novel tactic. Ah well. All cruisers, being to engage."

The frigates shot forward, their turbolasers blasting the Destroyer where it had been weakened by the fighter attack. The _Incapable _started to turn, heading away from the attack.

"It's trying to run sir." The lieutenant reported.

"Cease fire."

"What?"

"Just do it."

The ISD shot forward, intent on escaping. It got to the location, and started powering up for the jump to lightspeed.

"Sir…?"

"Wait for it to divert all energy to the hyperdrive, then fire."

"Now!"

Turbolaser shots ripped out from the _Spectrum_, blasting its engines just as it was about to leap. As all the power and fuel was in the engines, the blast ripped apart the ship.

"And that is how you kill an escaping Star Destroyer. Now, I want the TIE Construction Base on the planet blown up, and all weapons and supplies seized."

As the crew hastened to carry out the Selkath's orders, Dark Woman went up to him.

"That wasn't bad. Not bad at all."

"Thank you. Or would you rather we nicked the fighters?"

"No, blow them. We may as well earn a fearsome reputation some how. Oh, and tell them to look out for any ground vehicles. We could do with a few."

Qual sighed.

"A fine victory. An entire fleet wiped out, if they all do their job correctly."

"And let's hope they do. Give the orders Captain. Then we can go to our new home."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The _Bearing _fired two rounds of missiles, straight past the defending Imperials and right down onto the planet.

"Direct hits reported Admiral. They have no anti assault weapon emplacements." Lieutenant Veezeem said.

"Excellent. Send down the freighters, assault shuttles and the _Alternative_. Meanwhile, have the _Freedom_, _Liberty _and _Millionaire _form up on us. Let's finish what I started."

The three cruisers joined the _Swift _and headed in towards the _Integrity_. While they did so, the _Last Call_, the _Infuriator _and the _Zaalbar _ganged up on the _Indecisive_. The freighters, with the _Uhumele _in the lead, lanced down into the planet's atmosphere, slowly followed by the _Alternative_. Ion cannon blasts rained down on the planet, taking down the hangars, missile factories and command centre with one swift stroke.

"Mam, the _Last Call _reports that the _Indecisive _is taking heavy damage and is offering us a surrender. No word from the _Integrity_."

Ackdara nodded.

"Fair enough. Tell the _Indecisive _that I will accept it's surrender, provided he turns his ship over to us without any conditions."

"He says he and his crew are willing to defect mam."

"Let Master Tholme be the judge of that dear boy. Though I daresay we could use a fully operation Star Destroyer. Tell him I accept as well." Shaak Ti said.

"Oh, so you approve all defections do you?" asked Ackdara with a raised brow.

"I may as well do something with my free time." Shaak Ti snickered.

"Point. All you do is sit around."

Ackdara turned back to the battle, not noticing as Shaak Ti gave her the finger.

"Inform the _Last Call _and its taskforce that we accept the ship's surrender, and they are to protect it from further reprisals of the _Integrity_."

The _Integrity _must have noticed that it's end was near, as it suddenly surged forward, with the intent of ramming the _Swift_.

"Must we do this Screed? You're a reasonable man. Why not surrender. We can protect you." Ackdara said over the comm.

"I would love to be protected Ackdara my dear, but the Emperor would have my family murdered and my crew executed. Best this way for the both of us. Fire at will my dear. It's been an honour serving against you."

"Why not defect? We can protect your family."

"I'd love to, but I'm a loyal man, and I'm the Empire's man through and through. I wish it was another way, but there you are. Loyalty is my life. If I lose that, it will lose me all the things worth living for."

"The Emperor will kill you for this failure."

"I know."

There was suddenly a harsh sound.

"What was that?" Ackdara demanded.

"Uh…this is acting captain Pirtoken, Admiral. I have removed Screed as he was close to committing treason. You were getting through to him, which is a pity. Now, Ackdara, meet your destruction!"

"Fool! Fire cluster bombs!"

The rest of the task force opened fire, and the cluster bombs crashed into the Star Destroyer, crippling the ship, and a second later, blasting it to smithereens.

"Admiral, we're reading a shuttle launch. It's bearing a command code."

Ackdara fumed.

"Screed. We've been had. Let it go. Proceed to blockade the planet, and get the orbit of the _Indecisive _stabilised. And then we shall see how the rest of the fleet is doing."

"Admiral, a report from all task forces. All five other Star Destroyers are down. What's more, the remaining TIE fighters are surrendering too."

Ackdara laughed happily.

"A brilliant all told. A system liberated, as the Empire wont come back here again after this debacle, credibility gained and a fleet destroyed. Let us hope things continue to go our way on the planet, then we can all go home."

The crew nodded happily, and Ackdara got a fleet wide comm.

"This is Admiral Ackdara to the Jedi fleet. Excellent job everyone. Today, we came just a bit closer to defeating the Empire. Well done indeed."

There were many whoops, and Shaak Ti grinned at her. No, it hadn't been a bad day at all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Screed sighed sadly as his shuttle entered lightspeed.

"Admiral?"

"I'm all Lieutenant. Just feeling old and guilty."

"About losing the ship?"

"Partly. And I'm also wondering what delightful vengeance the Emperor will have for me when we reach Coruscant. The loss of ten Star Destroyers will not be forgiven lightly."

Yes sir."

The man wisely left Screed to his thoughts. It wasn't the loss of the ship that bothered him. The loss of the _Invincible _had been the wound to his heart in that respect. It was the fact that he had sacrificed all the crew aboard that ship, using an elaborate ploy, to escape himself. He had allowed those men to go to their deaths just for himself to escape, so he could go and die before the Emperor on Coruscant.

The idea of such a selfish decision that would only delay the inevitable haunted him all the way to Coruscant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With the destruction of the weapon emplacements, getting onto the planet was easy, with only E-webs being mounted against them. The ships shot down, with the freighters all heading off to assigned locations and the shuttles landing in various areas. The _Alternative _landed outside the military base and fired a hail of ion cannon fire to mix them up a little, before deploying troops. The ground battle for Lyseera had begun.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The _Uhumele _was assigned to deal with the first TIE hangar, and to seize them for the Jedi fleet. Dass Jennir sprang out of the ship, his green saber arcing around to deflect the shots of the various army personnel as they rushed to defended the hangar. Their ships grounded by the ion cannon strike, TIE pilots were also fighting. However, they had never faced a crew quite like that of the _Uhumele _before. While Dass deflected bolts into their formation, the rest of the crew opened up. Schurk-Heren and Crys Taanzer rained fire down on the defenders from the boarding ramp of the freighter, scattering them with their wide arcs of blaster fire. Resa, Ratty and Jank then entered the fray, their grenades and knives making short work of the formation and of those who came out to oppose them. The rest of the crew then entered the fray, with Ko Vakier in the lead, his vibrosword cutting a deadly swath through their enemies. Dass sprang forward, his blade cutting through more troops as the crew pushed into the hangar. Though outnumbered, the outcome was never in doubt. When their commander parted company from is legs with a swing of Dass' lightsaber, they surrendered.

Ten minutes later, they received word that the two Star Destroyers were out of the battle, and that it was up to the rest of the ground forces now.

"How many ships?" Dass asked.

"A squadron, but that's immaterial. We did what we needed to." Ratty said as he came up beside him.

"Call the _Alternative _and ask them for some troops to be sent over to get these ships up into the air. Then, find out if anyone needs help. There's no sense in us standing around like a ninny if we can be doing something."

Ratty agreed and hurried off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Serra, Dyren, Whie and Scout had been assigned to take out the command centre. As it was already deactivated, this should have been easy.

No one told the Imps that.

As soon as the door opened, they were immediately assaulted by a squad of four stormtroopers who had an E-web. Serra however, was not in the mood to deal with that, and spiralled into the room, her sabers a spiral storm of destruction. She sliced the stormies to ribbons and blew up the cannon, before slicing through the door and leaping into the command room, her sabers deflecting shots back at the defenders. Dyren and Whie then shot through, past her and blasted them all with a Force push. Scout then entered and summoned all their blasters away from them.

"Thank you gentlemen. Now, all of you just stand over there, and no one need be hurt." Serra said.

They were all shoved up against the wall, and Whie then used the Force to wrench pipes out of their casings, and then captured them behind the pipes. Dyren then accessed the computer and shut down all the remaining automated defences on the planet, making everyone else's jobs easier. Then, the clone assassin that was in charge leapt through the door, headed straight for Scout.

"Scout!" Serra yelled.

The clone got no further as Whie leapt in the way and sliced the clone totally in half, head to tail.

"Whie…" Scout said as she rushed forwards.

Serra gave him an odd look, and the Force was filled with foreboding, which then passed.

What did that mean?

She wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Quinlan ran down into the hangar, and stopped prematurely. The troops who were meant to be defending the place waved at him.

"Hello Jedi."

The pilots were all lying twitching at their feet as they played cards.

"What's going on here?"

"We figured that you lot would come in here, slice us up, and take everything you fancied. So, we decided to save you the trouble, get rid of the pilots and defect."

Quinlan laughed, and they joined in.

Well, who wouldn't skive off work?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the battle went according to plan. With the loss of the command centre, the Imperials became even more demoralised than they were already. The bank just let Ventress and Voolvif get on with robbing them, and Kai Hudorra and Olee had little trouble getting all the supplies and missiles.

The only one who had any trouble was A'sharad, who was taking care of the military base. While the usual troops surrendered, the stormies had other ideas, and refused to cooperate.

A'sharad slaughtered through them all.

With the death of the clones, the rest of Lyseera's armed forces surrendered. The walkers and tanks that were at the base were loaded onto the alternative, the TIEs were taken up to the fleet and put in the hangars of the ships, various supplies were taken into the freighters, and the missiles were loaded aboard a dungeon ship that Argron sent to them.

Four hours later, the Empire announced that it was pulling all operations from the Lyseera sector, and the people celebrated their liberation.

The Lyseeran governor gave Shaak Ti a hundred thousand credits, all he could afford, and thanked her for removing the Imps from the sector. The people then blew up the missile factories, the Empire's only reason for staying in the sector, to ensure they never came back.

With the entire sector's thanks, Shaak Ti led her fleet in the wide arc that Argron had planned, and headed to their new home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Scout found Whie in the new quarters he had been assigned at Moon Base, the name for their home.

"Hey." She said, sitting down beside him.

"Hi." He said quietly.

"What's wrong?" she asked, putting her arm around him.

"The way I killed that clone who was going for you. It was…"

"Hey, I know that you couldn't have killed him any other way. You had hardly any time. If you hadn't saved me, I'd have been skewered."

He grinned half heartedly.

"I still don't like the way I did it." He moaned.

"You had no choice. It was either kill him, or let me be killed, and I would like to think you'd rather kill him."

"Course I would."

"Thank the Force for that."

He stood up.

"I suppose you're right."

"Course I am. I'm a woman aren't I?"

"A fair few women have been wrong. I always remember when Master Billaba said 'I will never kiss another man'."

"It was the Christmas night out for the Council. I was watching from the window when she did it. Fancy kissing Master Piell."

"I wouldn't have minded so much, but they all denied any knowledge of it happening."

Scout laughed.

"And Master Ti was meant to have done something with Master Koon she wasn't meant to."

"They all said that about her though. It was the one about Coleman Trebor doing Jyl Somtay that upset the Council."

"'We're just good friends, honest'. Really."

"Come on, they're having a party in the main chamber. Then we can go exploring."

She headed for the door.

"Scout…"

"Yeah?"

He kissed her as she turned around.

"Wow. What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.

"Helping me figure things out."

Scout grinned.

"What?" he asked.

"I've finally broken Mr Prim and Proper's outer shell."

"Good."

He kissed her again, and she kissed back hard.

"You know, ever since before Vjun, I've wanted to do that." Whie whispered.

"All the more reason to do it again then isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I'm starving. Let's go the party, then we can _talk_ some more."

She grinned.

"You're on."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The party was in full swing, and Exaz was already blind drunk. Typical of her, Shaak Ti thought. She watched as the various fighters danced, talked and laughed around each other.

The bar had been the first thing made operational after Tarkin's attack, Toller explained, after they had fixed life support.

"We couldn't fix one sort of life support and let the other go." He said with a twinkle in his eye.

In the corner, she could see Serra and Dyren dancing in each other's mouths, and Whie and Scout doing the same in an alcove. Love was in the air. She then watched as Dark Woman entered, and spotted Whie and Scout.

"Admiral, come here."

Ackdara appeared beside her.

"What?"

"This is a reason that the Jedi needed to be purged." She said, pointing.

"Whie! What are you doing with that girl?" Dark Woman demanded.

Whie broke apart from Scout, and turned to the Jedi Master.

"You stupid woman! Can you not see that I was checking to see if she had tonsillitis?"

"Oh. Take some medicine dear. Have fun."

They did at that, as Dark Woman came over.

Ackdara was chortling as she approached.

"I'm beginning to agree with the Emperor. Mind you, if you're all that stupid, he needn't have bothered purging you."

Dark Woman was then distracted.

"Syron!"

"He's not a Jedi." Shaak Ti soothed.

"Oh. So sorry. Carry on."

"Good evening my dear." Shaak Ti said as she arrived.

"Master Ti. You seem cheery."

"Indeed. Perhaps because we won, or perhaps due to the twelve gin and tonics I've consumed, but who cares? I don't."

"I see Master Exaz is enjoying the drink." Dark Woman said reprovingly.

They watched as Exaz downed another vodka, then keeled over onto the floor and passed out.

"Someone pick her up. She was a nightmare last time she got trampled."

"And Master Choi is keeping the party amused." Dark Woman said.

"Yes, with his break dancing."

"He break dances?" Ackdara asked confusedly.

"Among other talents." Dark Woman said.

"He even go-karts." Shaak Ti said.

Ackdara shook her head in despair.

"I'm going back to Mon Calamari. You're all mad."

"That's true." Shaak Ti said, winking as Tholme disappeared with Tra.

He gave a wave as he vanished.

"Enjoy the party my dear. I'm away for another drink." Shaak Ti said.

"You know what Master Ti? I may even buy you one." Ackdara said, and Dark Woman went to talk to Luminara, who was drinking a beer.

Music blared as they went across the dance floor. Voolvif was dancing with Ventress, who seemed to be enjoying herself. Softy was doing a Kashyyyk dance with Quinlan and Khaleen, with Khaleen in the middle.

"They're all enjoying themselves." Ackdara said as she ordered a peach snaps.

"Well quite. I'll have another." She said as she sat down.

K'kruhk was dancing with Jeisel, in time to the fast music. Argron was describing his adventures to Zett and Senna, who, Shaak Ti was part impressed, part irritated to see, had managed to get their hands on some alcohol.

Lights blared as even Dark Woman decided to go to the dance floor, and started a quickstep with A'sharad.

"We won today. Which was nice. But we cant afford to let up pressure. For which I have a cunning plan." Ackdara said.

"Indeed?"

"I'll say more tonight, as I think I'm slightly drunk due to the fact that this is my fifteenth peach snaps, but when I'm sober, I'll be happy to explain it."

"Quite."

Kryn came up to them.

"Admiral, may I have this dance?"

"Certainly Colonel."

Shaak Ti laughed as she went away, giving her a wink as she did so. The music was getting louder, and more catchy. Perhaps she should try to advertise that she would like a dance.

Her chance came quicker than expected.

"Master Ti? Would you like to dance?" Quasal asked nervously.

She smiled at him.

"Who put you up for this?"

"I lost an argument with Gumbaeki, Tikkes and Meena Tills."

"So the loser had to ask me to dance?"

"Yes."

"I'll get them for that. Come dear boy. Lets prove that just because you lose a bet doesn't mean you cant have a good time."

Quasal grinned in spite of himself, and Shaak Ti finished her drink.

As they started to dance to a catchy Wookiee tune, along with most of the other room's occupants, she smiled broadly.

This was the best she had felt in quite a long time.

**Well, that was a fun chapter to write.**

**I didnt mean it to be quite so long, but there you are.**

**The Jedi won for a change, the Empire has been defeated and lost an entire sector, and ten ISDs all told. The Emperor will not be happy about that!**

**Romance is in the air for Serra and Dyren, and for Whie and Scout at last. The ships Whie designed will be seen later on, after a particularly mad mission…**

**Kryn's escape from the Star Destroyer is meant to be like that of the Falcon when they blow up the Second Death Star. **

**Dark Woman is getting easier to fool, and I'm continuing with her in the place of Edith from Allo Allo, and the Jedi like a drink. I enjoy writing the little titbits of gossip about what the Jedi got up to before the Purge, I think they're fun. Oh, and the one Coleman Trebor is with is the Jedi in Death in the Catacombs, a short story set after the Battle of Geonosis. **

**Two lines in this chapter give clues to later events, in sequel stories. You may be able to find them if you look for them. But I wont say anymore here! I have to finish this one first.**

**Admiral Ackdara destroying that first fleet was meant to show that she is a commander on the same level of genius as Ackbar, the greatest Mon Cal ever.**

**For those of you who don't know, Screed fought in the Clone Wars against the Bulwark Battlecruisers of the Separatists, you can find him on Wookieepedia. And his comment about living out the rest of his days as a goat are the same as Blackadders, when people are coming to kill him in series three.**

**Sorry this chapter was so long, the longest yet, it wasn't mean to be. Poor Shaak Ti, no one would willingly dance with her. And the music she was dancing to was the original music at the end of Return of the Jedi, when the Ewoks sing 'yub nub', which is a far catchier tune than the new one, which is still rather nice. However, she and Quasal had a good time dancing, which is a deleted scene, because I cant be bothered writing it, same as I cant be bothered writing the other ground assaults, which we will see more of in future, I promise. **

**To get back on track, what is Ackdara's drink induced plan? What will the Emperor do to Admiral Screed? How will the Empire respond to the threat of Shaak Ti now that they have removed their influence from an entire sector?**

**Retribution, when it comes, will be swift, and most likely deadly. **

**Stay tuned to find out!**

**I'm taking a break from Dark Times now, because I want to write some of my other stories, and I also need to revise so I can try to pass my exams. Hah. But I will update when I'm able, I promise!**

**Until next time, read and review please!**

**P.S Lyseera and it's sister planets are in what becomes the territory of the Imperial Remnant, between Bastion and Muunilust.**

**PPS May I recommend the story Knightfall by Morohtar, which is an excellent story about Shaak Ti? It'd brilliant!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

23

"I'm sorry Vader, I must be going deaf. I thought you said an entire sector?"

"I did."

Palpatine took a deep breath.

Sly Moore, Mas Amedda and poor Admiral Screed entered at that time.

"HOW THE HELL COULD YOU LET THAT HAPPEN!? I GIVE YOU TEN ISDS YOU GREAT BLOODY IMBECILE, TO DEFEND THE SECTOR, AND YOU STILL MANAGE TO LOSE THE BLOODY SECTOR! I MEAN HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?"

Screed cowered before Palpatine.

"NEXT YOU'LL BE TELLING ME YOU LOST ALL TEN ISDS!"

As Palpatine was blinding himself with spit and rage, Vader and Screed did rock, paper, scissors, which Vader lost.

"Damn you Screed. If I should die, think only this of me: I'll be back to get you."

He took a deep breath.

"He also lost those."

Three, two, one…

"HE DID WHAT!?"

Everyone visibly retreated from the throne.

"CANT YOU BUNCH OF ABSOLTUE DUNDERHEADS TO ANYTHING RIGHT!? SHE IS ONLY ONE BLOODY WOMAN! HOW CAN ONE WOMAN CAUSE SO MUCH DAMAGE!? SINCE THIS BEGAN, WE HAVE LOST TWO FLEETS AND ENTIRE STAR SYSTEM! I GIVE UP! YOURE ALL A TOTAL WASTE OF SPACE! HOW ONE GROUP OF PEOPLE CAN BE SO BLOODY USELESS IS BEYOND ME!"

He brought his fist down on the arms of his throne, crushing the digestive biscuits Pestage had brought him.

"Oh dear. Don't you just hate the days you do that to a digestive biscuit?" he said mournfully, sprinkling the fine dust he had turned them into.

"Dear oh dear." he said, taking a deep breath.

He then narrowed his evil yellow eyes on Screed.

"Explain."

"Well, I first confronted Ackdara with four ISDs…"

Palpatine had clamed down a bit by the end of the story.

"You have to admire the ingenuity of it I suppose. And it was the first engagement with Admiral Ackdara where she could use proper tactics that weren't the only ones available. Very well."

"I'm off the hook?" Screed asked in surprise.

"Yes I suppose so."

Screed sagged in relief.

"I will replace your ships my friend. Then you can help lead the search for this bloody woman." Palpatine fumed.

"Thank you my lord."

Palpatine sat back in his throne.

"However, this lack of progress will not be tolerated! As my normal servants have failed me, its time to unleash a different breed."

He clicked his fingers, and one of the windows in the room slowly started to rise.

Behind the window was a large room, a war room.

And nine people walked out.

Palpatine then clapped his hands and two people shimmered into existence from the shadows.

"What is this?" Vader asked.

"These people are my best Dark Jedi Vader." Palpatine purred.

"Dark Jedi?" Vader demanded with gritted teeth.

He thought he could replace him did he? We'll soon see about that, Vader thought.

"Yes. Come into the light and let Lord Vader see you all."

First was a Gran, who looked just like any other. At his waist was a lightsaber.

"This is Benun, the leader of my Dark Jedi. I contacted him when he was thought dead by the Jedi many years ago. Since then, he has trained this lot."

Benun nodded with respect in Vader's direction.

"Lord Vader, a pleasure to meet you at last."

Vader nodded. If they didn't stand on his toes…

Next was a human, with long, filthy black hair, and a scruffy beard. He had evil black eyes, and had a scar over his right eye, like the one Vader had had when he was Anakin Skywalker. He recalled that his beloved Padme said it made him look rather dashing. He fought down the pang he felt, and listened to his Emperor.

"This is Nycros. He was Benun's first apprentice."

Vader took note of the saber at his side.

Next was a grey skinned young woman, with black circles around her eyes, and a coiled whip at her waist. The Dark Side emanated from her.

"This is Demona, a Nightsister of Dathomir. She uses a lightwhip in battle."

Next was a green Twi'lek with evil, small, red eyes. A double bladed saber was at his waist.

"This is Braniss."

Next was a long, and more astonishingly, thin, Hutt.

"This is Tekul, who is a master of lightsaber combat."

Next was a small Sullustan.

"This is Tion, who can use an array of interesting Force powers."

Next was a black and gold Bothan with a snooty expression.

"That's Bren'ya."

A heavyset female Barabel came out next, who had a fierce expression and a massive lightsaber at her waist.

"That is Zaza, and she wields a lightclub."

And last was a lithe woman with long blonde hair, long fingers and long legs. Two double bladed sabers were at her waist.

"And that is Salmonella."

Vader looked at the host, and then turned to the two who had appeared from the shadows.

One was a huge hulking man, but Vader could see it was muscle, not fat that made up his body. Apart from a few distinct features, he looked like Darth Bane.

The other was a woman, with long purple hair, tattoos around her eyes, and Vader could see, very very nice legs.

"Hang on, you were on the _Exactor_."

"Yes. I sent her there to make sure your quest to kill the Jedi did not overwhelm you my friend." Palpatine said.

"The big fellow is called Sytrap, and he is my hand. This one is called Zarafina, a Shadow Fist."

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Fancy coming all this way and finding out you're a Shadow Fist." Vader said in sympathy.

Palpatine and the others looked at each other in confusion.

"Don't ask me, I only took him off the Jedi." he said, throwing his arms into the air.

Vader flexed his fingers, pleased that he had thrown them.

"So what on earth is a Shadow Fist as it doesn't seem to be an ailment?"

"A military commander, for when you will not do my friend. They take the more subtle approach."

"And your Hand? Is it an extension of your Arm?"

Palpatine sent him a bemused glance, deciding not to notice Amedda and Moore who were sniggering.

"He performs several tasks for me. Like removing political opponents, deposing planetary governments, dealing with deserters, things such as that. When your brute force is needed my friend."

Vader sniffed, annoyed.

"And the Dark Jedi have been in training for ages. Benun has trained them all, and now I shall use them to crush the Jedi Rebellion. They will deal with Shaak Ti where you have failed."

The scorn in Palpatine's tone ignited Vader's anger.

"Oh yes? What makes you think a bunch of amateurs who want to play bad guy will succeed where a Sith Lord has failed, where his predecessor failed, and where even the legendary General Grievous failed? What makes you think this bunch of bozos will be able to take down Shaak Ti, the strongest Jedi we face at the moment, when she is one of the most cunning Jedi to ever exist and also the leader of a rebellion which has so far, as you have pointed out, taken out two of our fleets and lost us a sector? What makes you think she wont slice them up and deliver them to us in a matchbox!?"

Silence met these words.

"Show him." Palpatine hissed.

Benun then sprang at him, his saber active. Vader blocked the attack, and forced the Gran away. Then tendrils of energy came at him, and he pirouetted to avoid it, and was instantly forced back by an attack from the Hutt's three lightsabers. Vader leapt upward, but he was forced down by Zaza's tail, before having Braniss come at him, his blade high. Vader blasted them all back with the Force, and nodded grudgingly.

"Impressive." he said begrudgingly.

"Quite. They will deal with the Jedi. Meanwhile, Sytrap and Zarafina will consolidate our hold on the galaxy. You Vader, will deal with the minor nascent rebellions that have emerged. Sullust has decided to revolt, and now they have a new left wing government which is being unhelpful. I want you to go to Sullust and crush them."

"Yes, my master."

"Screed, you will go to Fondor and get your new fleet. Amedda, Moore, continue with your duties."

And he turned to the Dark Jedi.

"And you lot, kill Shaak Ti!"

With a swish of his cape, Vader was gone.

He stormed down the corridor, knocking Palpatine's pretty secretary over as she got up to make the Emperor coffee.

So, the evil, wrinkled old prude thought he could replace him with a bunch of jumped up yobos as they were more subtle and could work together? He'd show him.

Vader stormed out of the front door in fury, and headed to the pub. He could murder a drink.

He had abandoned his life as a Jedi for what?

Before, he had Padme, his beloved wife, a child on the way, his best friend Obi Wan, a host of accomplices in the temple such as Saesee Tiin, Shaak Ti, Barriss Offee, Quinlan Vos, Kit Fisto and Aayla Secura. He was well thought of in the Republic at large and got on well with the clones.

Now he had lost his wife, his child, his best friend, all but one of his accomplices, and that one was trying to kill him, the galaxy at wide held him up as a figure of fear and the clones weren't as close to him as they were before.

And now the only person who had been there for him, but had most likely manipulated him into doing all he had done, was trying to get rid of him. Life just wasn't fair.

"Lord Vader, let me buy you a drink." Benun, the Gran leader of the Dark Jedi, said.

"I think I'll let you."

"What's your poison?"

"A Guinness."

"A Guinness please, and a Budweiser for me please." Benun said, putting the credits down.

"And a straw." Vader said.

The barman returned with the drinks, and Vader, after some manoeuvring, pushed the straw into one of the grills of his breath mask and sucked.

"Lord Vader, you have nothing to fear from my Dark Jedi." Benun said after a sip.

Vader choked.

"Who said I was afraid that my position as threatened by that leathery faced old fart's new toys!?"

"Calm down Vader. There is no threat to you."

"Oh yes? How so?"

"Because they all hate each other." Benun said cheerily as he ate a few peanuts that had just been delivered.

"Eh?"

"All of them, bar Demona and maybe Zaza, loathe me. They think I'm holding them back. The ungrateful little shits. I raised them and trained them, and that's the thanks I get. They hate me. Nycros and Salmonella especially. They think they should lead and think I'm in their way."

"Charming. You'd think they'd try to kill you?"

Benun smiled grimly.

"They wouldn't dare. They know full well I can still kick their ass. And besides Demona would help me."

Vader mused.

"And they all loathe each other. Nycros and Salmonella are true practitioners of anti-alienism, and hate the others because they're different. They all hate Bren'ya because he's a Bothan, that's to be expected. Tekul leaves streaks all over the place, and that annoys them all. They all sort of get on well aside from that. Demona gets on well with Zaza, and Tion waits to side with the stronger party before he acts. Braniss is indifferent to them. He accepts they'll never get above their present position. For now."

Vader mused over this as he finished his drink.

"So, they would join together to increase their own power?"

"Yes, and then turn on each other. That's why I'm also their caretaker. I keep them from wiping each other out. I command two ISDs to make sure they behave themselves when they travel to the other ISD for meetings."

"And what ships do they have? Unarmed TIEs with any luck." Vader said as he signalled the bartender.

"No, VSDs."

"Balls."

"They will work together for now. They see that it will help them increase their power, and as I'm wiser to the Jedi's tricks, they wont get rid of me yet. However, that probably wont last."

"Same again please." Vader said.

"Yes sir. And payment?"

"There will be no payment." Vader said, using a mind trick.

"There will be no payment."

He shuffled off, and Benun giggled.

"You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Nah. He overcharges."

They waited for the drinks before getting back to their conversation.

"And why tell me?"

Benun took a swig.

"Several reasons. First, we need a strong presence to keep things in line at the moment. You'd do a better job than my lot. Second, if they fail, we will need someone to stop Shaak Ti, and you'd have a better chance than I. Thirdly, I reckon the Emperor would be a tad peed off if he lost you, so I want to save some poor sap getting cooked if he brings bad news. And lastly, so you'll save Demona and Zaza if you do purge them, and perhaps Tion and Tekul. The others can all rot. And try and keep the ships intact."

Vader laughed.

"Very well Benun. I will honour this, and keep my eyes peeled. Mutual information pact?"

"Agreed."

They shook on it.

"So, what is your plan for stopping Shaak Ti?"

"For now, we wait and see. Soon we shall strike. And then…"

Benun flashed his teeth evilly.

"Then the Jedi will cease to exist."

And to that, they both clinked their glasses together.

**Back for a one off special!**

**After this i'm going to do Harry, Spyro and Digimon, before I come back and do any more of this other stuff. I hope...**

**So, the Dark Jedi have been revealed. What plan do they have coming? All will soon be revealed. Chapter 31 I think actually. **

**Next chapter, we're backl to our heroes and we'll see what mad plan Ackdara has this time. You'll see when I return!**

**Until then, please read and review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

24

They all woke up late the day after the party. Indeed, Exaz still hadn't woke up. Shaak Ti wasn't inclined to wake her up.

A few hours later, when all but the most persistent headaches had gone, the Council convened in the chamber Ackdara had given them aboard the _Swift_. An extra chair had been brought in for Ackdara.

Exaz was the last in, still nursing a headache.

"Right, lets get this over with so I can go back to bed." she said grumpily, taking her place on Shaak Ti's right hand side.

Shaak Ti smiled wryly and looked at Ackdara, who had been stuck in front of the door.

"Proceed Admiral."

Ackdara nodded graciously.

"While we have won a couple of victories against the Empire, we cant keep depending on other people to give us the materials with which to fight a war with. So, we are going to need facilities. While we do have this place, we cant do much with it."

"What are you getting at?" Tra asked.

"We need a place where we can build our own forces, rather than always pinching them from other places."

"Such as shipyards and troop centres?" Tsui asked.

"Exactly."

Ventress raised a hand to her lips.

"Such a thing would certainly help our situation. Materials would be a pain, but still, there is merit to the idea."

"Droid factories are deactivated all over the galaxy are they not?" A'sharad asked Ventress.

"Very true. But there's no deactivated shipyards. We'd have to build our own. And same goes for troop centres."

Ackdara smiled.

"This is where my plan comes in. We cant buy them or get them for free."

She smiled evilly.

"So we steal them."

"Steal the shipyards?" Jeisel asked in shock.

"Are you mad?" Dark Woman demanded.

"No, she's perfectly sane. I vote that we pass it and then we can all go home." Exaz chirped.

"Shoosh." Tholme said.

She shot him a dirty look, but went silent.

"Steal the shipyards?" Shaak Ti asked.

"They'd never suspect it. And we could swipe whatever ships are there too." Ventress said with a smile.

"And meanwhile, you could get the droid factories up and running again…" Ackdara continued.

"And then we could go for a cloning facility as well." Tholme finished with a grin.

"Exactly." Ackdara said.

"But shipyards are heavily guarded. We'd be slaughtered." Jeisel said worriedly.

"Not necessarily. If we arrive within the shipyard envelope, all we'd have to do is fend off fighters. The cruisers wouldn't be able to fire at us without the risk of hitting their own shipyards."

"So what do we do? Arrive and deploy fighters and shuttles, take the shipyards control centres, deactivate it's stabilisers, lock down the ships, tractor them between the task forces and hop it?" Tra asked.

"Basically."

"And we'll get whatever ships are in the shipyard we're pinching too." Tsui added.

"It's madness. We'd be slaughtered on the way out." Dark Woman said.

Ackdara shook her head.

"The audacity of the strike should confuse them enough that they'll be less of a threat. And we can use the shipyard as protection as we flee."

"But shipyards are massive! Will our tractors hold out?" Jeisel asked anxiously.

"We can change the specs easily enough." Ackdara said.

Shaak Ti shook her head in wonder.

"Admiral, it is the craziest plan I have ever heard. But it could work. But what shipyards do we attack? Kuat is too well defended for a start."

Ackdara was about to answer when Meena Tills came barging into the chamber.

"Forgive the intrusion, masters, Admiral. But I have terrible news!"

"Calm yourself Senator. What is it?" Shaak Ti said soothingly.

"And keep your voice down." Exaz said grumpily.

"Giddean Danu has been accused of treason, and has fled back to Kuat with his three cruisers. But Tarkin was waiting for him! It's a standoff in the Kuat system, and Giddean is trapped between a shipyard and Tarkin's fleet!"

Shaak Ti looked at Ackdara.

"Can we mount a rescue? He'd be a helpful ally."

"Especially with his cruisers. KDY gifted him with three VSDs when he got them the ISD contract." K'kruhk said.

Meena generated the holo. Danu's three VSDs were facing Tarkin's seven, which were in the main ring of shipyards, while the orbitals had Danu boxed in, with one at the back preventing a retreat as well.

Ackdara looked at the holo, and clapped her ands.

"Simple. We come in and attack the ring, blowing a hole large enough to get through. Our fast but heavy ships do that, while our heavy cruisers disable Tarkin's fleet and attack it from behind. Danu will attack from the front, and our forces take the shipyard behind him. We then scarper, and hope Tarkin doesn't get in the way."

"Sheer unpredictability will win the day I suppose." Luminara said.

"But we cant just attack Kuat. Other worlds must also be struck." Voolvif declared.

"Quite. But I have approval, for the rescue and to nick our shipyards?" Ackdara asked.

Shaak Ti smiled.

"Any major objections?"

There were none, though some people were unhappy.

"Proceed Admiral. And may the Force be with us."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Fourteen ships to each planet. Each one will nick two shipyards each. Meanwhile, Master Ventress and Captain Kree will secure droid factories for us. You have your locations?"

Ventress nodded.

"I am going to Geonosis, while Kree goes to the Kaer Orbital Platform. We bring them back. And I will make a pitstop on the way, to see if something still exists. Then we return here."

"Meanwhile, I will lead the task force to Kuat to get their shipyards and aid Senator Danu. Captain Variya will attack Sullust and take their shipyards, while Grobba will take on Corellia. Argron will remain here with the fleet. And for heaven's sake, stay out of the entry vectors."

She was referring to an accident a few hours before, when a tug had been going to help finish the repairs on the _Indecisive _that had been in the way when the _Last Call _had shot back from a raid on a nearby convoy.

"Shall do." Argron nodded.

"Are we to take the ships that are still in the shipyards and finish them ourselves?" Voolvif asked.

"Of course. Rather pointless if we don't." Ackdara said.

"So, we are decided. Mission commanders will give out more information before we launch."

Ackdara looked around the room and smiled.

"Good luck, and may the Force with us. Calm seas to you all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ventress sat in her office aboard the _Last Call_, which was travelling to the Teth system. Once, there had been a Separatist shipyard there, but unfortunately, Skywalker and his MIA Padawan Ahsoka Tano had wiped it out. But, hopefully they hadn't found the one in between the two moons, that were so close they nearly touched, and even shared gravity.

Her taskforce shot out of lightspeed, and saw at once that there wasn't any chance of survival. Her certainty was caused by the three ISDs and their support craft which were orbiting the two moons.

"Bugger." she hissed, and rushed to the bridge.

Aidus, who had decided to join her, turned to her.

"It's Admiral Penish." he informed her.

"Bloody imbecile. What's he doing here?"

"Wiping out the shipyard most likely. All we can do is flee."

"Agreed. Get us out of here."

The five ships shot away, and she sighed. Even she had felt the terrible pain and fear of the Jedi incarcerated aboard the _Vendetta_. They would have to rescue the poor soul. Ventress decided on that.

The Jedi weren't that bad. And as long as they didn't bring in Kenobi, and let her have a shot at Vader, she would stay with them.

For the first time in many years, it felt like she had a home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

However, before they could go to the shipyards, all the shuttles and quick ships had to be made ready, and they also needed drill ships.

Drill ships were used in mining operations across the galaxy, and they would be used to break into the central command of the shipyards they were pinching.

And so, Ackdara led a group of frigates into the Sequla system, where they mined Aurodium on the moons. While the Mon Cal frigates kept the local defence forces, two Carrack cruisers and a Strike cruiser, busy, the other ships sped in over the moons, and used tractor beams to bring the drillers into their holds.

Ten minutes later, they fled to rejoin the fleet, a squadron's worth of drillers in each task force.

Soon, the fight would be on.

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Kree's pirate fleet arrived at the Kaer Orbital Platform, which had been used by Sev'Rance Tann to rebuild her army after the Battle of Geonosis. Despite Republic invasion by General Jor Drakas, the Separatists had reclaimed it and had continued to produce droids for the rest of the wear. The only thing that had prevented a full scale Republic invasion was the fact that it was near Tatooine, and they didn't want to anger the Hutts. Which suited them fine.

Or it had, until Palpatine had buggered things up by creating the Empire.

Even then, a fleet of five ships was on it's way to destroy the platform before the Jedi got their hands on it.

"Commander Carhac, there's thousands of life form readings aboard the platform."

Carhac glanced at the man.

"How?"

"Maybe the Hutts have been using it to keep slaves."

Carhac smiled remorselessly.

"If they are on something that can aid the enemies of the Empire, they are the enemies of the Empire. Destroy it."

"But sir…"

Carhac fired his blaster rifle into the man who dared question him, scattering charred flesh all over the crewpit.

"**I **am in command here! You will all do as I say, when I say it! Your own thoughts mean nothing! It is what I want that counts aboard this ship! Now destroy the platform!"

"But Commander Carhac!"

Carhac went berserk, and pumped blaster rifle fire over the crewpit. Three men sat slumped in their seats, two were lying smoking on the floor, and two had been sliced apart by the sheer speed and heat of the bolts two minutes later.

"Will anyone else question my orders!?"

"No sir! We're trying to tell you about the approaching fleet! The other ships are requesting orders!"

Carhac blasted him as well.

"Why didn't you tell me before!? We could have been dead by now had they been mildly competent! We could all have died!"

"We're outmatched sir. We're the only ship that doesn't have an equal in that fleet." a man said timidly.

Carhac snarled ferally.

"Destroy the platform on the way out of the system. Set your course for the Kamino system. It's time we forced the Kaminoans to create clones to fill in the spaces of intelligence in the fleet."

He then stormed from the bridge, much to the relief of the remaining bridge crew.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kree looked at the five cruisers.

"Carhac. Don't he have anything else to do?" Skyn asked.

"Apparently not. Have the missile frigates ready to attack. We can mistrust Carhac less we can mistrust me, trust me." Kree said wisely.

Bobo shrugged in confusion, and transmitted the orders.

"Sir, they'sa be firing on desa platform!" he then yelled.

Kree grinned wickedly.

"Aye! That they'd be! We cant have that can we boys? Let's be firing a barrage!"

Missiles shot from the frigates and exploded against the shields of the _Brutality_.

"They're coming about!" Borna shouted in fear.

"They're mad." Skyn said in confusion.

"All power to engines, all craft!" Kree ordered.

"But Cap'n!"

The pirate fleet shot forward, firing as they went. The enemy fleet didn't seem like it was going to break off.

"Steady." Kree whispered.

"Sir, the _Virulent _and _Warmonger _are breaking off!" Borna yelled in relief.

The two Accumulators had indeed changed course, and were heading back to the platform.

"There go the _Vanquished _and the _Peacemaker_."

The two VSDs had turned about as well, and were heading to attack the platform.

As Kree had wanted.

"Make ready the proton beam!" he yelled.

There was excited muttering at this, and the crew was then ready.

"FIRE!"

A bright blue beam of energy shot out from the _Piracy_, crashing into the shields of Carhac's ISD.

"Have the missile frigates fire at will! All other ships, fire at any target!" Kree yelled.

A storm of missiles sped towards the other four ships, making fire blossom all over the ships as the missiles hit, while the smaller ships fired lasers into all the ships. Meanwhile, the proton beam was leaving a thin line of fire and wreckage from where it had hit the ISD. The shields had collapsed under the barrage of the beam, and that had allowed them to bore a deep hole into the Destroyer. The wounded enemy ships then broke off their attack, and fled. The _Brutality _fired a couple of turbolaser bolts at the platform before jumping itself.

"The day is ours gentlebeings." Kree announced, to cheers.

"Message from the platform. We're allowed to land our forces."

"Aye, we'd best tell them that they're being moved or they might take offence. Come. Prepare me a shuttle, and I'll go be telling them."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kree landed on the platform, and was totally unprepared for what he found. In the three levels of the platform, thousands of people had been stuffed.

"How many did you say there were?" he asked their apparent leader.

"Five thousand of us." he said worriedly.

Kree frowned.

"Don't you be worrying about little old me. I fight the good fight, with the Jedi now. We'll take you out of here."

The man's demeanour changed considerably.

"Thank you! The Hutts captured us from Separatist worlds before the Republic secured them. They've been raiding for us, and also, been stocking us for the Empire."

Kree looked at him sharply.

"Some of you are Imperial slaves?"

"Yes sir."

Kree stroked his chin.

"That's very interesting. Very interesting indeed."

The man cleared his throat.

"So, you'll help us?"

"Aye. We'll take you to our base, get you all cleaned up, then you can decide what you want to do from there."

"But I assume you didn't come here to free us?"

Kree smiled sadly.

"No, we didn't. We didn't know you were here, or we'd have been here ages ago. Better late than never I suppose. We're here for the droid foundries."

"The foundries are inactive." the man said in confusion.

"We'll activate them soon."

A woman raised her hand, and Kree looked at her pointedly.

"Begging your pardon sir, but you can only get heavy droids here. Like spider droids, hailfires, tanks, that sort of thing."

Kree nodded.

"That's fair enough. We're also securing another droid factory. You'd all have prefabs?"

The man snorted in false humour.

"We weren't their guests Cap'n. We've got one prefab for about five families. As you're lucky if a prefab is the size of a decent sized bedroom…"

Kree looked at him in horror.

"Right. We'll take as many of you into our ships as we can. The rest of you will have to squeeze into the lower levels. I'd rather not have anyone on top with the factories. We're moving this platform with a tractor beam rig, and then we're moving it."

With the arrangements made, Kree turned to Skyn.

"Get the tractors going. And get me a link to Ventress. She needs to hear this."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Thousands of slaves you say?"

"Yep. Gathered by the Hutts and the Imps. What do you reckon the Imps want slaves for?" Kree asked from the holo.

Ventress sat back in her black chair, wondering that very thing. So far, the Jedi had encountered Wookiee, Nosaurian, Toydarian, Sullustan, human and all other sorts of species, all of which were enslaved. She could understand if they all came from Separatist worlds, but she had read of the recent subjugation of Sullust and Elom, both of which had been in the Republic.

"The only thing I can think of is that they're using slaves to help build the war machine. But why use their own worlds? Unless they're building something really big. Either that or…"

Kree nodded.

"They're going to use the excuse of slaves to get to us."

"Exactly. I'll think on this and present it to the Council. You've done well Kree. Get back to Home Base."

"Will do as soon as I've hung up. What state are you in?"

"We're ready to go. Only problem is that some damn fool has parked their fleet in orbit. An ISD by the name of _Tyranny _seems to be the command ship."

Kree's eyes narrowed.

"Admiral Tyran. An evil sod. Steer clear of him. You waiting for him to leave?"

"No. Looks like he's here as a garrison. We're going to launch our fighters and attack him with all we've got, while our forces swoop in and reactivate the factory, then we can scarper."

"Risky."

"I know. See you later."

"Aye, I'll be seeing you. Till later then."

Kree shimmered out of existence, and Ventress frowned in thought.

"What is the Empire up to?" she asked.

Aidus entered at that moment.

"Talking to yourself?"

Ventress smiled.

"Only way I can have an intelligent conversation. The Empire's up to something."

"Yeah, I know. That's what I came to tell you. The small ships from the fleet around Geonosis are making ready for lightspeed. They look like they're coming here."

"A microjump? Why?"

"They must have detected us. But why send the small ships?"

"Maybe they figure we aren't fully operational. Either that, or they have friends coming."

Ventress then grinned.

"Launch the ion mines."

Aidus grinned evilly.

"We'll nock them out."

"Yep. And that means we'll be left with the destroyers. We jump as soon as they do, letting them walk into our trap while we go after the three destroyers. The frigates can engage the VSDs while we take on the ISDs, and then we can take the factory."

"Yep. That's a plan alright. Well, I best get to it."

Ventress smiled as he left.

"And Aidus?"

"Yeah?"

"Have my fighter ready."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The plan went perfectly. As soon as the smaller ships of Tyran's fleet jumped, Ventress' fleet shot in system. Her fighters swarmed out of her hangars and swarmed the destroyers, while the cruisers got into position above the planet. Ventress' fanblade fighter descended from the _Last Call_ and swept down onto the surface of Geonosis, the cannons firing as she destroyed the anti air weapons, leaving the way clear for a squad of six gunships to land in the Geonosian foundry, a massive spire like structure. Ventress parked her ship in the hangar, and ran towards the leader of the hive, one Yuo Shi.

"Commander Ventress! I didn't expect to see you again!"

"We're here to rescue you. The droids will help secure you against invaders. Secure all the entrances to this place. Nothing is to get in, and send as many people into hibernation as you can."

"Why?" he asked, confused, though still carrying out the orders.

"Because this facility will soon be in space, and will be heading to join the Jedi resistance, to fight against your oppressors."

"Alright then." he said, mystified as to how she was going to get the factory into orbit.

She then dashed to her fighter, reversed out of the spire, and shot spacewards.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The droids had secured the foundry, the Geonosians were deep in the catacombs, and the fighters were being wiped out. It was time to leave.

"All forces, fall back. Cruisers, initiate Operation Weed-the-Garden." Ventress ordered as she docked her fighter.

The five ships then focused their tractor beams on the factory. With a massive rumble, the factory was then pulled from the ground and into the air, slowly being dragged to space.

The ISDS, suddenly realising what they were doing, fired at the factory, but it was too late. The massive droid factory was pulled in between the five cruisers as the fighters landed in the hangar, and the cruisers leapt into space just as Tyran's small ships arrived back in system.

"Bugger." Tyran swore.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ventress crowed in victory as she entered the bridge, to a chorus of cheering form her Narecians.

"We did it. And if the others have done their jobs properly, our fight can truly begin." Ventress said with a smile.

And they headed back to their base.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The last of the ringleaders had been rounded up, and Vader was in rather a good mood. Sullust was once again secure, and there would be no further problems here.

"Captain, we are finished here. Set course for Coruscant."

The captain ignored him.

"Captain?" Vader asked.

"Is that meant to happen?" the man asked curiously.

A group of fast ships had suddenly leapt into the shipyard envelope, their weapons firing, blasting apart flights of fighters and causing damage to the cruisers.

"It's the Jedi Lord Vader! One of them is the _Talentless_, the Marauder they have!"

Vader frowned.

"What do they hope to gain by attacking here?"

Two more ships, the two Wookiee frigates, suddenly leapt in, and the defending forces turned to meet them, trusting the TIEs to deal with the quick attack ships.

Vader tapped his foot.

"Something is amiss." he said warily.

Suddenly shuttles lanced out from the hangars of the quick ships, as did a group of drillers. They then turned to the two closest shipyards.

"They plan to sabotage the shipyards!" the captain said in shock.

The rest of the taskforce then swept in from lightspeed, led by the _Meerkat_. Vader snarled as he sensed Serra Keto. Then, he felt her gloating in victory, and his jaw, inside his helmet, dropped.

"No captain. They aren't here to sabotage the shipyards. They want to steal them."

As if in response to this, the shipyards were suddenly jarred loose of their casings and started to float towards the task force, which was focusing all their firepower on the Imp forces, and was all clustered together, their jobs mostly done.

"Fire at them!" Vader ordered anxiously.

"But Lord Vader…"

Vader snarled, and decapitated the man.

"Another one bites the dust." a man in the crew pit said.

"I heard that." Vader retorted angrily.

It was too late. The rest of the Imperial forces were so taken aback by the audacity of the move, that they were unable to stop them. By the time they adjusted, the Jedi force had gotten clear, and then jumped to lightspeed, two shipyards in tow.

Vader looked out after them, and moaned.

Things had just gone tits up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The same tactics were repeated at Corellia. Grobba's force shot in, and stole two shipyards from their orbit. CEC immediately went into an uproar, and the Empire started to lose influence within an hour. Soon after, several city garrisons had been overthrown, and the Empire's control was in tatters.

It had not been a good day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Senator Danu, we cant last much longer." his captain said.

Giddean Danu, Senator for Kuat, frowned heavily. He had been accused of treason for fleeing Coruscant when he was to be arrested for signing the Petition of 2000. He had fled to his holding world of Kuari, and had met with his fleet, intending to return to Kuat and deny the Empire their ships.

However, that plan had gone pear shaped with the presence of Tarkin, who's fleet of six VSDs had been waiting for him. Having been declared guilty of treason, Danu couldn't be helped by the planet, as they would lose a lot more than just their contract. And now, he was at his wits end.

"We cant win Senator."

Giddean nodded, and turned to look at the space outside the viewport.

"I know that captain. Prepare to surrender. All we've done is delay things."

The captain smiled grimly.

"We might make a difference sir."

The entire crew of the three ships he had were totally loyal to Giddean Danu, and would go with him to the death. And none of them liked the Jedi.

"We cant risk our kinsmen dying. No, we surrender…"

Danu suddenly spotted several driller ships that had appeared from nowhere, and were causally entering the two shipyards that kept him pinned between them and Tarkin's fleet. Shuttles were also landing.

"Belay that." he said thoughtfully.

"Senator?"

Danu smiled as he watched them land at the shipyards, suddenly guessing what was afoot.

"We wait. I think Tarkin is about to get a nasty fright." he said confidently.

"Sir? We cant win."

Danu laughed.

"On the contrary. We can."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tarkin finally got through to the Senator.

"Ah, Senator Danu. Ready to surrender?" Tarkin demanded smugly.

Danu looked at the thin, rake like man with distaste. Tarkin was evil, no question about it.

"I don't think I will surrender Tarkin. Not yet anyway."

Tarkin sighed in frustration.

"For heavens sake Danu, your people are suffering! You're running low on supplies! Give it in!" he demanded.

Danu shook his head.

"You know, I warned Kuat about the perils of putting an entire fleet in one or two shipyards, rather than spacing them out."

Tarkin arched an eyebrow.

"What are you on about?"

"Governor Tarkin, excuse the interruption, but the ISD _Indecisive _has arrived to take over the situation." a man said form close by.

"On whose authority?" Tarkin demanded angrily.

"Doesn't say."

Danu beamed.

"Oh dear Tarkin. Don't you read the news?"

Four ships then shot in from lightspeed, their cannons blazing.

"What!?" Tarkin demanded.

Danu laughed.

"I did warn you Tarkin. Captain, fire at will. Let us help our allies."

The three VSDs suddenly opened up with fire, blasting holes in Tarkin's formation as the ion cannons shorted out the _Ambition_. Two Carracks, a Corvette and a Strike Cruiser were bombing the fleet, when the next wave arrived. The four Mon Cal frigates, along with a Nebulon B were firing, fending off the arriving fighters and shooting at the VSDs. Tarkin was bellowing himself hoarse, as the shipyards behind Danu opened fire on the approaching ISDs from the other side of the planet. The Jedi ISD was attacking his forces form behind, and then there was suddenly more ships, all Mon Cal cruisers, shot in from hyperspace and started to mince up other shipyards.

"SHAAK TI!" Tarkin bellowed.

As if by magic, the Jedi's holo materialised before him.

"Hello Tarkin. I'm taking these shipyards, the ships inside them, and Senator Danu. Good day!"

She then vanished.

Tarkin fumed, as the Imperial forces, totally disorientated by the attack, were allowing Shaak Ti's ships to escape, with the two shipyards in tow. What mattered more was the large fleet that was being stored in the two shipyards until it was launched.

"Stop them!" Tarkin pleaded.

He was too late.

The attack had the enemy totally confused, and Shaak Ti and her fleet escaped two seconds later, leaving a chaotic shipyard behind.

Tarkin went pale.

"This wont look good on my record." he whispered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"A pleasure to see you again Master Ti." Danu said, shaking her hand.

"And a joy to see you Senator. Meena was responsible for getting us to rescue you." she said, indicating the other Senator.

Danu shook his hand, and the two laughed.

"My thanks Meena."

"You're quite welcome."

They were back at the base, and the six shipyards had been positioned in orbit, and even now were being fitted with weapons and engines to enable them to travel if need be. The platform was also in orbit and was being renovated, and the droid factory was being closed up in preparation for starting to churn out troops. The slaves had replaced the bemused crews of the ships stolen from Kuat, and the ones from Sullust and Corellia willingly joined the cause.

"We did rather well with this mad scheme of yours." Shaak Ti said to Ackdara.

"We did indeed. Senator Danu's three VSDs certainly helps us a lot. Three Corvettes and a Gunship from Corellia. Three Nebulons, two more Liberators and a new Dauntless cruiser from Sullust and then there are the forces form Kuat. Another ISD, another VSD, two Nebulons, a new Interdictor and a new Broadside cruiser. Not bad for a days work." Ackdara said happily.

Shaak Ti was also rather happy.

"Add that to the poor people we got off the Kaer platform and the fact that we now have two massive droids foundries, we ought to do well. We shall need a big celebration tonight." she said.

Ackdara smiled.

"Quite. But before we do, I want to run another situation past you."

Shaak Ti grinned.

"Very well Admiral. Let's hear the plan."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Palpatine was obviously not very happy when he heard of Shaak Ti's latest escapades.

"She stole shipyards!?" he demanded furiously.

"Yes. Six in all. Along with two droid foundries." Vader said in a rather bad mood.

Palpatine let loose with a Force roar that sent everyone present slinking up against the wall.

"I've had enough! She's creating a full scale rebellion! I want her dead! Benun, kill her!" he ordered.

Isard then rather bravely stepped forward, as everyone else was trying to get away from the furious ruler of the galaxy.

The Dark Jedi, Vader, Moore, Amedda and Pestage all winced, as Palpatine turned his evil gaze onto the Intelligence Director.

"My Emperor, I have a plan." he said quietly.

Palpatine arched his eyebrow.

"Yes Isard? Make it quick, or your life will end far before its time." he threatened.

Isard nodded.

"It seems to me my Emperor that Shaak Ti now has a major droid factory, and shipyards. The only thing she is missing is something to create organic troops with. As such, it stands to reason that she will go for…"

"Kamino." Vader purred.

Palpatine smiled evilly.

"Of course. Kamino. She will go there." he said confidently.

He looked at them all.

"Make sure she does not escape this time. She has gotten too far as it is. Wipe her out!"

They all bowed and left to do their master's bidding.

**Im back!**

**Sorry some of this chapter isnt so good, but I lost interest in the chapter, but I'll be back to normal next time!**

**Not a good day for the Empire at all, and Shaak Ti's forces have increased. What will happen next? Is Shaak Ti going for Kamino?**

**New Jedi next chapter, three to be exact. It should only be one, as two were meant to be in this chapter, but I fogto and I cant be bothered going to put them in, so they appear early doors next chapter! We also have a new fleet, if you can call it that, to contend with, and Tyran starts to come into the story more! **

**Things start to heat up next chapter, so until then, hopefully it wont be soon, please read and review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

25

Shaak Ti was woken up by a banging at the door.

"Flaming Force, who's that at this time of the morning?" she demanded angrily.

She put on her fluffy pink slippers and stalked over to the door. Cursing, she threw it open.

On the other side was an elderly Muun and a young girl.

"Yes!?" she asked irritably, looking longingly at her bed, which had been very warm a second before.

"Master Ti, I'm hurt. Is that any way to treat an old friend?" he asked in a sad voice.

Shaak Ti turned on the light, which was subdued because it was only four o'clock in the morning.

"Master Minul! Its good to see you! What are you doing here!? And at such a time in the morning?" she added, less happily.

"Well, as you so rudely snatched us from Kuat, we're still on Kuat time. I was working on the shipyard that you stole." he said.

Minul was a Jedi Master who had trained many Padawans in his time. He was a master of Makashi, like Shaak Ti and they frequently sparred when in the Temple between missions. He had also been a good adviser to her over the years.

"How did you escape Order 66?" she asked, brining him inside, the girl following.

"Sheer chance. I was coming to reinforce Master Ruuta when the Order went down. I saw him killed by the clones, and immediately guessed what happened. I cut the bridge out from under them and scarpered. I'd been on the run for a few months when I came to Kuat and found Noriah. We stuck together, quietly sabotaging whatever ships they were building. Next thing we know we've suddenly been kidnapped by massive tractor beams. And here we are!"

Shaak Ti smiled, despite the hour.

"It's good to see you. And you too Noriah. What happened to your hair? You used to have a lovely length." she said in worry at the girls short haircut.

Noriah scowled.

"Master Hudorra had to pass me off as a boy to escape Toola. Since then, I've kept up the disguise, because I think Commander Keller's been looking for me."

Shaak Ti smiled sympathetically. Kai Hudorra had relayed to her the tale of how they had escaped Toola, and his own private worries about the girl.

"Well, I have good news for you. Master Hudorra is alive and well and with us."

Noriah smiled and went off to find him.

The door then shut, and Minul smiled.

"Love the slippers." he said cheekily.

She shot him a quelling look.

"I wasn't going to get spruce upped for anyone at four o'clock. Right, seeing as I'm now wide awake, I'll shower and then we can catch up my friend."

Ten minutes later, she was out and showing Minul around the _Liberty_.

"And that's' where we've set up a temporary Archives. Young Quasal is in charge at the moment." she explained.

Slowly, the ship was starting to wake up around them.

"Oh, and Ventress is on our side." she said.

Minul nodded.

"I'd heard. And I also heard that some gallivanters wiped out two fleets and liberated a sector."

Shaak Ti grinned. They're the same ones that stole six shipyards." she said happily.

Minul chortled.

"You've been doing well my dear. What's your next move?" he asked.

Ackdara then appeared.

"Morning Master Ti. You're up early. And this is?" she asked, seeing Minul.

Shaak Ti shot him a dirty look.

"The reason I'm up early. This is an old friend of mine called Minul."

Ackdara shook his hand.

"If you assemble the Council after breakfast, I will tell you of my new plan." she said.

Shaak Ti winced.

"After breakfast may not be such a good idea."

Ackdara's eyes widened.

"How?" Exaz will be hungover."

Ackdara snorted in amusement.

"She's always hungover. After breakfast." she then left.

Shaak Ti scratched her head.

"Hang on. I'm the boss here. She cant order me, it's the other way around." she said grumpily.

Minul laughed.

"Come on my dear, lets get some grub."

They entered the galley, and saw Kai Hudorra sitting with Noriah. Kai gave Shaak Ti a dirty look as she went past. She stuck her tongue out.

"If I'm not sleeping, no one is. Grand Master's prerogative." she said with a wink.

He harrumphed and turned back to Noriah, and she giggled.

"Morning Shaak Ti." said someone cheerily.

She turned around to see Ventress coming bouncing towards them. Shaak Ti smiled as she chose black pudding, eggs and sausage.

"You seem very cheery. And as I never felt anything, I assume it isn't because Obi Wan is dead. So why the cheeriness?" she asked, arching her eyebrow.

Ventress smiled.

"That would be telling." she said mischievously.

Shaak Ti stabbed her with her fork as she headed to the table.

"Oh alright. Well, last night Alpha and I…"

Shaak Ti dropped hr fork with a clang.

"Well!" she exclaimed.

Minul was chortling, and then started to choke on his fruit pudding.

"Ventress!" Shaak Ti snapped.

"Hey, I'm not doing anything!"

Shaak Ti hit her friend on the back of the chest, and he suddenly hacked and could breathe normally again.

"Sorry, went down the wrong pipe." he said weakly, drinking some tea.

"I apologise dear. So you and Alpha?" she demanded.

Ventress smiled.

"Well, when I hijacked the ship he was on after the Battle of Boz Pity, he stayed with me. Since then we've gotten friendly and last night we just abandoned all pretence…"

Shaak Ti grinned.

"You scoundrel." she said, dissecting her egg.

Ventress laughed. It was the happiest anyone had ever seen her.

"Oh, this is Minul by the way. He was on the shipyards that we pinched."

Ventress shook his hand.

They ate their breakfast, Shaak Ti and Ventress chatting about Ventress and Alpha.

"Well, we have a Council meeting. Come along Ventress. Master Minul, you are free to do whatever you please. But do not do like you normally do and go into the ladies washing room." she warned him.

"That was an accident!" he protested indignantly.

She quelled him with a look.

"First time perhaps. The twelve times after that weren't."

She then went with Ventress to the Council room.

When they arrived, they found all of them bar Exaz. Shaak Ti shook her head and sat in her chair, and looked up as the door opened.

Exaz looked very pale, tired and grumpy. She stomped to her chair and sat down, then proceeded to use the Force to make her a cup of black coffee. When queried, she grunted in response.

"Typical." Shaak Ti said as Ackdara entered.

"Good morning!" she trilled.

"SHOOSH!" Exaz snapped.

Ackdara chuckled and generated a holo in the centre of the room.

"This is our target." she said.

A watery blue world appeared before them.

"Kamino." Jeisel said.

"Exactly. If we can take a cloning centre, we will have unlimited supplies of troops." she said simply.

K'kruhk nodded.

"How would we take the planet?"

Ackdara shrugged.

"We don't need to. All we need to do is take the cloning facility. We arrive, use our tractor beams, nick the thing and scarper."

The Council was accepting this far too readily. They were enamoured by their last victory. Except one.

Ventress shook her head.

"Its too risky." she warned.

They all turned to look at her.

"Well its obvious that were going to go after it. We've got everything else we need. We're bound to go after that. The Empire will be waiting for us. And even if they don't, we don't know if the facility will be set loose as easily as the one on Geonosis was. We could endanger everyone inside it. But what happens if Vader, or worse, the Emperor is waiting for us? What then?"

Several of the Council looked wary.

"She does have a point." Dark Woman stated.

Ackdara looked at Ventress.

"It's the only option we have. Otherwise we wont be able to replace any losses."

Ventress sighed wearily.

"I can see that you are all set on this idea. As such, I cant follow you to commit suicide. I'm leaving."

With that, she twirled sadly and left the room.

"Asajj, please!" Shaak Ti called, getting to her feet.

But Ventress had gone.

Shaak Ti frowned in dismay at the place where Ventress had vanished.

"So, I have your approval to proceed Masters?" Ackdara asked awkwardly.

They nodded in agreement, and the Admiral left the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shaak Ti was preoccupied the rest of the day, worrying about Ventress. Her alliance was already falling apart and it worried her considerably.

Her comm suddenly beeped.

"Shaak Ti." she said tiredly.

"Master Ti, could I see you a moment? I have something that may interest you." Quasal said.

Shaak Ti arrived five minutes later at the large room Ackdara had given Quasal to store Jedi artefacts in.

"Yes dear?" she asked.

The young Padawan smiled at her.

"I've fond something interesting. I was looking through the holocron of Master Mamaw Habat, and found a reference to something called Force Fire."

Shaak Ti raised her eyebrow.

"Force Fire? Sounds dangerous."

"Well, I cross referenced it and looked up several other documents and several mentions were made. I eventually stumbled upon the key when I unearthed the knowledge in Vandar Tokare's holocron."

"How many holocrons do we have?"

Quasal looked about shiftily.

"I've gone on missions to _persuade_ people to share their collections with us. I've also slipped in and out of various isolated parts of libraries on Coruscant."

Shaak Ti was taken aback.

"so that's where you keep disappearing off to! You've been on Coruscant! You little bugger!"

Quasal hung his head, and she shook her head.

"I'm surprised you weren't caught. So, as you've been purloining them from the library, and who knows where else, how many do we have?"

Quasal grinned in spite of himself.

"At least twenty give. None of them that extensive, but we have a fair few. I also managed to pinch the ones Master Rancisis and Master Yaddle made, along with several older ones. I'm also nipping away tomorrow to go to a sale. Someone's selling the holocron of Master Memit Nadill, and it's the real thing, so I'm going to get it." he said proudly.

She arched her eyebrow.

"For only a Padawan, you seem to do an excessive amount of missions on your tod. Also, without the say-so of the Council. I don't know whether to be impressed or annoyed." she said irritably.

Quasal sniggered, and she gave up.

"Very well. Do what you can do get as many holocrons and other Jedi artefacts as you can. But do _not _get caught."

Quasal nodded and his barbells flapped.

"Yes Master."

"Good boy. Now, you were saying?"

"Force Fire seems to be the light side's version of Force Lightning. It's just as powerful, and has a load of advantages. It also has three stages. Ive only heard about the first and last. The first is like normal Force Lightning, and comes from our hands. The last I've seen only mentioned in the holocron of Master Xamar, and its called Fire Storm. I'm researching the other form now."

Shaak Ti grinned.

"Well done dear. What other obscure bits of knowledge have you found?"

"Aside from Force Fire, a few others, but I'm not done with the research yet. I also tried to get into the files on Malacia and Morichro in Yaddle's and Oppo's holocron, but it denied me because I'm not a Master. But I've got a few other things."

Shaak Ti nodded.

"So, how do we do it?"

He grinned and led her to a small cupboard, where there were soot marks on the wall. She shot him a look.

"I get first try as I found it." he said cheekily.

"So?" she asked impatiently.

He raised her hands up in front of her.

"Now, pour everything that's good in you into your fingers and the Force. Visualise being able to attack the wall, and look and see."

Shaak Ti did as she was told.

_Hmm. Something distinctly wrong about this situation. The Padawan is ordering the Master. That aint right_, she thought bitterly.

Then to her immense surprise, lines of powerful flame flashed out from her fingers, blackening the wall.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Well done Master Ti!" Quasal yelled in joy.

The flames stopped.

"Very good. Well done Quasal. I want you to create a pack and distribute your findings to the rest of the Jedi."

"Yes Master." he said happily.

She clapped him on the shoulder as she left.

"You've done well Quasal. As long as you're here, I don't think we need to worry about the legacy of the Jedi."

Quasal blushed as she left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, the various Jedi were gathered in Ackdara's briefing room. The blue Mon Cal stepped forward.

"As you know, we are going to launch an attack on Kamino. Now, we expect there to be some defence at Kamino given its importance. So, I'm assembling a fleet that should be able to hold off a couple of ISDs should things go pear shaped. I will be in command.

Our first job will be to get people in to sound out the area. Plenty of rich aristocrats are popping in and out of Kamino, buying private security forces. Master Choi will be one of these, as will Master Tholme. They will get in and find out the size of the facility we will be pinching. When they have done so they will give us a message, and we will get underway. When we arrive, we will do like we did at Geonosis, and focus our tractor beams to wrench the thing up from the ground. We will then scarper, all being well.

I will lead the fleet, with Colonel Kryn as my second. Shaak Ti, as she is nosy, will want to come along, so I've decided to let Captain Talo once again have the pleasure of her company." Ackdara said with a smile.

Syron sighed.

"Oh joy. Yet another tempting opportunity for suicide beckons." he said wearily.

Shaak Ti fired a bolt of fire at him, and he yelped. She sniggered loudly.

"This is fun." she said happily.

Luminara looked at her friend and shook her head.

"It's like dealing with a child." she said.

"Quasal, when we get back, we are going to have to have a long chat about what you teach Master Ti. She fried me when I was going for the biscuit tin." Exaz said grumpily.

Ackdara cleared her throat.

"When we are fighting, Master Vos will lead one of the squadrons, while Master Swan leads another. Master Jeisel and Master Exaz will help Masters Choi and Tholme secure the facility with our troops when we arrive. I think that's all. Any questions?"

"What happens if Palpatine has one of his Dark Jedi there?" Kai Justiss asked.

"In that case, I too will go with the attack force. No offence to the other Masters." Minul said.

Ackdara nodded.

"Then we go as soon as possible. May the Force be with us."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The three fleets cut through the darkness between Kamino and one of its moons, Korasa. Three ISDs were in the centre of the formation. There was also five VSDs, two Venators, two Dreadnaughts, two Strike cruisers and two Carracks.

"A risky scheme if they have a large fleet Director Isard." Tyran said as he poured his guests a glass of red wine.

Isard gave a small smile. The Emperor had given him an ISD by the name of _Informant _and a VSD called _Spycatcher _for his own personal use.

"A calculated risk Admiral Tyran. Shaak Ti's goons have caused enough trouble. If they get their hands on a cloning facility we will be facing another war. We must stop the rot here." Isard said.

Carhac nodded.

"Blasted Jedi are getting stronger, and may actually be considering a war. We cant let them do that. Though Tyran does have a point. If that fish brings her entire fleet, we've had it."

Isard conceded the point.

"Well quite. But we can at least prevent them from getting a cloning facility. But something makes me think this will be a stealth missions rather than a military one. We will triumph." he promised evilly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tholme and Tsui left at separate times. When they arrived on Kamino, they were taken to small identical rooms where they met a Kaminoan, who told them that a clone army of any size would be extortionate. After a couple of hours, they were allowed to walk around Tipoca Cloning Facility, the smaller building at the far edge of Tipoca City. After setting down a tractor strip, which would direct the tractor beams, the two of them met up in Tipoca City.

"Well, it should be relatively easy. There seems to be very few clones too." Tsui stated.

Tholme frowned.

"And that's what worries me my friend. Considering the planets importance, where are the defences?" he asked worriedly.

Tsui shrugged and went to look in a shop while Tholme went and got them a seat for lunch. He then heard a ruckus from within, and peered inside.

"This food is disgusting!" a rather irate Elom yelled, lifting up a table.

Then, Tholme heard a clam voice that he knew only too well.

"The food is in harmony with itself. With the galaxy at large. There is no problem. The food is fine." the voice said.

Tholme got up and went indoors, to see the Elom leaving in a daze, and the tiny Veknoid chef who had clamed him down.

"Zao my friend. It is good to see you." Tholme said, clapping his shoulder.

"Tholme my old friend! How wonderful! I feared us all dead in the Purge!"

Tholme leaned across the counter of the kitchen and got the Kaminoans attention.

"Do you mind if I borrow him for a while?" he asked.

Dressed in elaborate finery, the poor dear probably though he was some wealthy lord.

"Yes. Take him as long as you wish. Less people complaining about the food." she sniffed.

Zao looked most affronted as the two went outdoors and sat back at the table.

"I feared us all dead! Its wonderful to see you alive! What about Tra and Quinlan?"

Tholme smiled as the Veknoid chattered idly.

"Both alive and well. Quinlan will be here soon. He's leading the attack."

Zao's white eyes widened.

"An attack? Are you three the same ones who liberated the Lyseera system?"

Tholme grinned.

"We are. And its not us three. We have Shaak Ti leading us. She has several Jedi in her little rebellion."

Zao chortled.

"Yes, she always had spirit that one. So, what are you doing here? You cant be buying an army. The Empire would quickly find out."

There was a snigger.

"No, we're stealing the capabilities to make our own." Tsui said as he joined them.

"Tsui Choi! You too! How wonderful!" Zao exclaimed happily.

"As it is to see you Master Zao." Tsui said happily.

"Told you so."

Zao leant forward conspiratorially.

"So, you are here to pull a Kuat? Some fiends have nicked the shipyards, and rescued Senator Danu in the process."

The two chortled, and Zao roared with laughter.

"Oh. You lot must certainly liven up Palpatine's day. I assume you have enough of a force to hold off the thousand troops stationed here, and enough ships to break through the fleet in orbit?"

Tholme, who had been eating a couple of peanuts that had just been delivered, heard this and started to choke, while Tsui splurted out some of his newly arrived drink.

"What?" Tsui asked as Zao hit Tholme on the back.. The peanut flew out and landed in the poor fellow in front of them's glass. Before they could warn him, he drunk it.

"Poor chap." Zao said worriedly, then turned to them.

"Well of course you don't by that reaction."

"Army!?" Tholme demanded wildly.

"Fleet!?" Tsui cried.

Zao shook his head.

"Well obviously this planet isn't going to be undefended. It's too important. You do have enough forces?" he asked worriedly.

"No! Admiral Ackdara's only bringing enough ships to pinch the facility and scarper!" Tholme said in despair.

"Bugger." Tsui said in a grim voice.

They looked at him.

"Oh Tsui you didn't?" Tholme asked desperately.

"I did. I did it when I came out the shop! They're on their way here now! Oh woe, woe woe is me!" he then crashed his head into the table.

"We've killed them." Tholme said.

"You overact my friends. I now see why I was to come to Kamino, to prevent you from doing anything rash. Now, I must join Shaak Ti's rebellion. Follow my lead. I have a plan."

He got up, and started to walk out.

"Where are we going?" Tsui demanded, his hand fingering his lightsaber, which was inside his jacket.

"To put your tractor strip elsewhere. I don't want to lose my job. If we put it somewhere else, when we get out of this, I still want a job. The blast doors will seal when you steal the place." he said confidently.

They followed reluctantly.

"Zao, what fleets are in orbit?" Tholme asked as they found the strip and carried it elsewhere."

"Three ISDs. One by the name of _Brutality_…"

"Carhac!" Tholme spat.

"One called _Tyranny_…"

"Tyran." Tsui growled.

"And one called the _Informant_."

"Don't know that."

They had arrived, and they laid the tractor strip behind the door.

"To the landing pad. I have another plan." Zao said cheerily.

Tsui made a noise.

"Zao, I hate to rock your boat, but how do we know these people will want to join us?"

Zao grinned.

"You can feel it. They are rather peeved off that the Empire has taken control of their livelihoods. They'll help. And besides, the head cloner here, Nala Se, hates the Empire after she made her clones turn into assassins with Order 66. She'll certainly help."

Tsui and Tholme shrugged at each other, and they arrived at the landing pad.

"Sorry, no admittance beyond this point." a clone said.

"Is killing clones the right thing to do here?" Tholme mumbled to Tsui, correctly guessing Zao's intentions.

"These ones are. Use your feelings my friend. This lot are Spaarti clones. The Kaminoans don't like them." Tsui said wisely.

Zao then brandished his stick at the clones.

"Let me pass. Im a man on the edge, and if you don't let me pass, we will kill you." he warned.

The clones erupted into laughter.

"An old man, a blind old Veknoid, and a midget Aleena? Fat chance!"

They raised their rifles.

"We're going to teach you a lesson!" the leader proclaimed, and fired.

The green blade shot out of the end of Zao's cane and stabbed the man through the chest. Fire erupted from Tsui's fingers, killing another two as the flames surrounded them, and Tholme blasted the last two with a massive Force push.

"Oh, that was amazing! Very good!" Zao said, then brandished his staff as more clones ran towards them firing.

The other two lit their sabers.

"We hold here until help comes! Come and get some!" Zao crowed happily.

Tsui looked wearily at the Veknoid.

"Master Zao, are you drunk?"

Zao grinned mischievously.

"I sometimes like to cook with wine. sometimes I even put it in what I'm making." he said cheerily.

"Wonderful. Next time, we check that our ally is sober before we do anything rash Tsui." Tholme said.

"Agreed. Let us hope we get relieved soon, or the Purge will claim three more victims." Tsui said worriedly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The fleet was under way. A small, but deadly enough fleet if they were attacked. They had one ISD, Giddean Danu's three VSDs, the Tartan, a Mon Cal frigate, two Nebulons and three Accumulators.

Ackdara frowned as they got closer to Kamino. Something made her feel anxious.

"Something's not right." she said worriedly as they approached the planet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ventress was a couple of light years away, preying on an Imperial convoy. They were low on supplies.

Aidus and Alpha looked sadly at Ventress. She had been rather downcast since she had left the Council. They understood why she had done it, and why she had taken her five ships. But she had been so sad ever since, as she had lost her home. True, there was still a large amount of distrust, especially from young Whie, but the Council had accepted her as had some in the military. She felt like she had a home.

One of the Narecians ran up to her.

"Commander Ventress, I just heard terrible news!" he yelled.

She looked up with sad eyes. She missed the Jedi, though she wouldn't admit it. She got on well with most of the Council, even the ones she had tried to kill.

"What?" she asked wearily.

He handed her a document, and she went pale.

"Three fleets!? I warned them! They've walked into a trap!" she said in terror.

She turned to Aidus.

"We need to save them. Aidus, set your course for Kamino! We're going to save Master Ti and the others!" she said in a hurry.

There was then a victory cheer from the organics on the bridge, and Ventress smiled. She was going home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The fleet arrived, into a maelstrom of turbolaser fire.

"Damn it! I hate travelling with you!" Syron yelled.

"Oh shut up!" Shaak Ti snapped.

They were trapped, as their forces left the ships as they came out of lightspeed, and the enemy hadn't deigned to chase them.

"You know, I hate it when Ventress is right." Vella moaned as she and Softy went to man the main turret.

Shaak Ti took her vacant seat, and commed Ackdara.

"Admiral! Options?"

Ackdara gave a weary sigh.

"We're slightly outgunned, and outfightered, as there are several squadrons coming up from the planet. We cant call the troops up from the planet, and it seems like Master Choi and Tholme are trapped in Tipoca City. Either way, we've had it." Ackdara said.

Shaak Ti sighed as the Admiral signed off.

"We're going to die!" Syron cursed as a TIE blasted at the bridge.

"Now don't panic! We can get out of this!"

"Don't panic! What else is there to do!" he demanded, and burst into tears.

"Get a hold of yourself! Get a grip!" Shaak Ti cried as Syron wailed.

She then snapped and slapped him in the face.

"That's better! Now what!?"

"Fly the bloody ship!"

A massive blast rocked the back of the ship, and they were thrown for six.

"Damn it! You're a bloody jinx! Never fails! Every time you come onto my ship you get it shot at!" he yelled.

"Oh shut up!" she snapped.

Several laser blasts from opportunist TIEs blasted their side.

"Stop blowing holes in my ship!" Syron shouted.

"There's more to your life than your bloody ship! Your girlfriend, your Wookiee companion, your two droids and your very important guest who is going to stick her lightsaber up your ass if you don't shut your face! Now stop whinging and fly the thing away from the trouble if you care so much about your ship!" she snapped.

"Will you pair shut it!?" Vella screamed from above.

"NO!" they shouted in unison.

"Fly the ship!" Shaak Ti said turning back to him.

"Why should I!? You fly it and see how annoying it is to fix it every time you're on it! You're a bad luck charm!"

"How can I fly the ship!? You have the steering wheel you self centred egotist son of a Hutt! Now get a hold on yourself and fly the ship!"

"No!"

Shaak Ti gave an enraged scream and used the Force to lift him from his seat. She then dropped him to the floor and sat in his seat.

"This shouldn't be so hard. Let's go up!" she said cheerily.

She jerked the wheel, and the ship went down.

"What are you doing you maniac?" Syron yelled furiously.

"Flying!" Shaak Ti said happily.

She then got the hang of it, and the ship shot straight at the _Brutality_. Laser blasts erupted form the ship and blasted against the ISDs shields. She then twirled the ship around, and surveyed the situation.

The _Compass Point _was out of action and was drifting with a large hole in it. The two Nebulons were struggling to fend off Tyran's six smaller ships. The three Accumulators were split apart from each other, and the other ships were slowly being overwhelmed by both fighter attacks and the enemy Destroyers.

"Master Ti?" Syron asked worriedly, as he sat in the copilot seat.

"You're a lot calmer." she said waspishly.

"I'm sorry I yelled. I go into crazy pilot mode when my ship gets shot at."

She shot him a look, then smiled.

"If we survive this little hike we will have to have a good catch up. We haven't talked in ages." she said.

"Agreed."

She shot the ship straight towards the centre of the battle, and winced as a round of turbolaser fire crashed into the _Swift_.

"We're doomed." she said in a whisper.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tholme and Tsui went high, while Zao went low.

"We're being overwhelmed! There are too many of them my friend!" Zao cried as more clones arrived and opened fire.

"Help is on the way." Tholme promised.

There was then a large whine as several landing craft descended into the city, and disgorged a mismatch of troops, with Jeisel, Exaz and Minul at the head. Tsui frowned.

They were still outmatched.

"We've had it. Tyran and company were waiting for us!" Jeisel snarled as she sliced down three troopers.

Zao leapt over her and cleaved one troop in half while Minul blasted some with a Force push.

"We cant land enough troops!" Minul cried.

Jeisel looked at Tholme and Tsui. Tyran had possibly just assassinated several high ranking members of the Jedi rebellion.

"Perhaps we can help!" a tall female Kaminoan said angrily.

"Nala Se!?" Zao demanded.

Nala Se was a cloner, and behind her was a force of other clones that opened fire mercilessly on the ones attacking the Jedi and their forces.

"What are you doing here?" Zao demanded.

"Hoping." she retorted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While the battle on the planet turned in favour of the Jedi, the space battle was still going downhill rather rapidly.

"Quinlan, I am not happy." Bultar said over the comm.

"Neither am I. Getting shot at does seem to darken your day a trifle." he said in a peeved off voice.

Bultar blasted apart another TIE.

"We've had it." she said sadly.

Quinlan sighed. They had indeed had it.

"QUIN!" Bultar screamed.

A TIE appeared from nowhere and had Quin in his sights.

Then it abruptly exploded.

"What?" Quin asked.

Several vulture droids then shot past, backed up by Geonosian fighters and Scarabs.

"Ventress." Quin said with a grin.

He turned in time to see Ventress' five ships burst out of lightspeed and attack the Imperial warships.

"Yes!" Quin said, and re-entered the battle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shaak Ti smiled as the five ships shot out of lightspeed, deploying fighters and letting loose with their turbolasers. She immediately got up and once again turfed Syron out.

"Hey!" he cried, taking control of the vessel.

She commed Ventress, who appeared smiling.

"Asajj, I've never been so happy to see you."

Ventress raised a pencilled eyebrow.

"Oh very well. You can say it only once." she said grudgingly.

"Told you so." she said happily.

Shaak Ti gave a reluctant smile.

"Some help would be nice."

"Coming right up."

Her ships and fighters fired crippling broadsides into the three ISDs, sending them off target. This gave the Jedi fleet the reprieve it needed, and the ships started to limp away from the planet, firing at the smaller ships and picking up the damaged ones as they went.

"Hang on, we may as well get what we came for." Ventress said.

Her tractor beams focused on the planet, and two minutes later, a large cloning facility was travelling behind her ships as they made a fighting retreat, their newly refreshed ships aiding the tired ones. Ackdara gave a whoop over the comm as the Jedi fleet shot away from Kamino, with their prize intact.

They had done it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tyran frowned as his crew members put out the various fires that had sprung up. All three ISDs had their shields at the front to protect them from the Jedi fleet. They had been caught completely by surprise by Ventress' arrival. And once again their plans had gone pear shaped.

Isard and Carhac appeared as holograms before him.

They silently did rock, paper, scissors, but before they could finish, Vader and the Emperor materialised before them.

"AHH!" the three yelped.

Palpatine raised an eyebrow and Vader shook his head.

"I take it that means you failed." Palpatine hissed, raising his hand to perform a Force choke.

The three shrunk away, but then Benun stepped in.

"No my Emperor. Don't kill them."

The two turned to him.

"And why not?"

Benun grinned.

"They couldn't have counted on Ventress' arrival, as this report says happened. They had nearly won, even if the downstairs battle did go tits up because of the cloner's betrayal. And they have given me invaluable information."

"Oh yes? May I ask how?" Tyran said.

Benun smiled.

"Indeed you may. You have proved that even outsider Jedi will go to great lengths to save each other. And with that final piece of information, we can at last put our plan into action." he said proudly.

"And what would that be?" Isard asked curiously.

"A little three digit number will lure our enemies out. Then we will destroy them." he promised.

"Three digits? If its triple zero, you've got another think coming." Palpatine said grumpily.

Vader shook his head.

"She wouldn't attack Coruscant, she hasn't got enough troops or ships, or support. No, hes on about 913." he said gleefully.

"Exactly."

Palpatine smiled.

"Very well gentlemen. You have won a reprieve. Benun, commence your plan at once!" he ordered evilly.

"I will my lord, but it will take several months for it to have any effect." Benun warned.

"Will they fall for it? I thought you said Yoda redid the signal." Carhac said.

"True. However, they will suspect another Jedi, perhaps even Shaak Ti herself, is behind it as it will keep moving. They come and we destroy them." Benun said.

Palpatine grinned.

"A few months more won't matter much. And it also gives the fleet another chance to kill her. Proceed gentlemen."

He then vanished, Vader too. Benun gave the three a wink and vanished also.

The three then slumped in relief.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They arrived back at Moon Base, and immediately stabilised the cloning facility and set to work fixing both that and the damaged cruisers. While Zao dealt with the Kaminoans, some of whom were rather irritated that they had just been kidnapped, Shaak Yi found Ventress and hugged her.

"Thank you for coming back." she said happily.

Ventress smiled as Shaak Ti led her away from the busy hangar.

"We found out that Tyran was waiting for you and rushed to the rescue."

Shaak Ti grinned.

"Are you coming back?"

Ventress smiled.

"I suppose. Cant kill many Imperials if I'm not with you. But don't think I'm going to become a proper, goody-two-shoes Jedi. I'm still a 'bad guy'." she warned.

Shaak Ti grinned.

"Believe what you will dear. However, I think you will soon become something you don't realise you're becoming."

Ventress raised a questioning eyebrow.

"What's that?"

"A hero."

Ventress shot her a venomous glare, and she laughed.

"Welcome back Master Ventress." Shaak Ti said, and took her for a rather liberal night's drinking.

Ventress sighed as she was steered away from the hangar, then decided she couldn't resist.

"Told you so!"

Shaak Ti gave her a dirty look.

"You can be demoted you know."

Then the two laughed.

**Before I get onto the note sofr this chapter, let me give you an update on all my stories:**

**Spyro: in progress, newest chapter started, should hopefully be up soon!**

**Ord Ibanna: in progress, need to decide on next chapter first**

**Search for Durge: next chapter will hopefully be up soon**

**Dark Leader: next chapter will hopefully be uploaded tomorrow!**

**Dark Times: a steady work in progress, but as this is a chapter, you may have to wait a while for the next one!**

**Knights: Also a work in progress, I think the newset chapter is started, and will hopefully be done soon**

**Harry: I havent forgotten him! He will be done, but the poltics are so boring, but I promise I will try to have him finished before the next film comes out (next year, grr)**

**Anyhoo...**

**We now have a cloning facility and a new batch of Jedi! Zao is in Darkness and Trackdown, Noriah Na is in Into the Unknown and Minul is made up.**

**Nala Se is the cloner in the new series, which the UK isnt meant to be getting until next year! (boo!)**

**Ventress is becoming mellower with the Jedi, and I know she is out of character, but the Dark Jedi part of her is still there...**

**And Benun's scheme is afoot! Not long till that begins now.**

**For now, I'm going to try to update some of the other stoires, but Dark Times will hopefully be out sson!**

**Until then, please read and review, and reviews for my Clone Wars stoires would be greatly appreciated! Also, on my favourites list are two good Star Wars stoires about everyone's favourite charcter: Shaak Ti! (who styill sounds like Galen when you play her in Force Unleashed for soem reason)**

**Bye for now!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

26

The convoy was full of supplies, including several ATATs and several kilolitres of bacta. For the past three weeks, the Jedi fleet had been attacking up and down the Empire, raiding fir supplies, and fleeing before the Empire arrived with defence. Due to their unpredictability, the Empire couldn't arm every convoy, and the latest news was that Palpatine was getting very miffed about the continuous raids on his forces.

"Come on Syron, get on with it." Shaak Ti said as she painted her nails.

Syron shot a miffed glance in her direction.

"Commander Variya, are we ready?" he asked.

"Ready and waiting. All forces, prepare for battle. And don't forget, our President is here, so lets put on a good show." she said, not quite how she should have.

Shaak Ti shot an irritated glance at the comm.

"I don't care what you do, as long as many people as possible get home and we get the goods." she said.

The _Meerkat_ was backed up by the _Corporation, Firestorm _and_ Whirlwind_, three Nebulon cruisers, and was supported by the _Knight _and the _Gallant_, the two Strike Cruiser left over from the fight with Joren. To round off the small assault force, the _Silver Blade _was there, and the major firepower was presented by one of the Venator Destroyers, the _Kit Fisto_.

"All fighters, launch! Activate gravity well generators and get the troops to the gunships." Variya ordered.

Fighters shot out from the cruisers.

"Oh come on Master Ti, this is easy." Serra crowed from her fighter.

"She's busy Serra." Vella said, smiling.

She was indeed busy, having just painted her finger when Syron had shoved the ship into top gear.

"Damn you Syron. Don't be overconfident Serra." she warned as she looked for the nail polish remover.

The battle was over in minutes, the convoy surrendering rather than continuing a fight they had no chance of winning.

"Well done people. Let's go home." Variya ordered.

Shaak Ti was just painting the last of her nails, when Syron shot the ship to lightspeed, making her put another green line all down her hand.

"Syron, you bloody imbecile!" she shrieked.

She then attacked him with the nail polish, and left him with a glittery green moustache and a grumpy face.

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They returned to Moon Base, and quickly got the supplies to where they were needed. After a quick debriefing, Shaak Ti had to report to an Executive meeting, where she, Ackdara, Meena and Signworth talked over recent events.

"Well my friends, we've been doing rather well, all in all. Our raids for the last few months have got us full to the brim with resources, and we're ready to take the fight to the enemy whenever we feel the need to." Meena said happily.

"And the cruisers we've been building are nearly finished. We're just tweaking some systems, and naming them, and they'll be ready to roll." Signworth said jovially.

"So, all is set for our next move. Which is?" Ackdara asked.

Shaak Ti pondered.

"To tell you the truth my friends, I don't have a clue. By all rights, beyond resisting the Empire, I never actually knew what we would do with an army that was opposed to them. Now that we have that, and have gathered Jedi, I don't see what to do next."

The others all looked at each other in shock.

"However, for the moment, I'd say that shooting at the Empire's goons is a rather good plan." she said, smiling.

They all nodded enthusiastically.

She activated the holoprojector set into the table in the centre of the conference room.

"This is the Bothawui system. According to our intelligence operatives under Master Tholme, the Empire is going to be shifting a major shipment of materiel through the system. I intend for us to strike it, as a test for some of our new cruisers, and to deny Imperial garrisons some much needed war tools that help them impose order where they are not wanted. We can also use the opportunity to get some information from the Bothans, who claim that the Empire is up to something. Any objections?" she asked.

There were none.

"Good. Admiral, I leave the details to you. Now, I must go and inform the Council of our next move." she said, and departed.

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Palpatine set an angry glance at his apprentice.

"Another one!?" he demanded angrily.

"Yes my master. Shaak Ti's forces are attacking all over the damn place. Many of our further out garrisons are suffering." Vader reported.

Palpatine surveyed his apprentice. He had still yet to regain his focus. His mauling from Kenobi had left him a brute, without the finesse he had practiced as Anakin Skywalker. In truth, Sidious was disappointed in his apprentice. He had such promise. Perhaps facing one of his greatest enemies in one-on-one combat would get it back. If not, he would go the same way as Grievous.

"Benun!" Palpatine called.

Benun appeared from the shadows.

"My lord." he said, bowing.

"Are you ready for your plan to be put into operation?"

Benun sighed, as he had every day this week when he had been asked the same question.

"My lord, the plan is not ready to proceed yet." he said tiredly.

"Oh, fine! Get on with it!" he yelled in rage.

Vader cleared his throat.

"Perhaps we could try my plan." he said.

Palpatine glared at his apprentice.

"If it's along the same lines as when you thought it would be amusing to block my toilet to see if I noticed, you needn't bother." he said grumpily.

Benun and Vader chuckled at that. Palpatine hadn't been chuckling when hed gotten out of bed and wound up waist deep in toilet water.

"No. Nothing so hilarious. Least of all for Shaak Ti." Vader promised.

Palpatine pondered, then nodded.

"Very well. I shall hear you out, then throw you out."

"Yes my master. I have taken the liberty of making a target irresistible to Shaak Ti. She will be bound to hit it."

Palpatine narrowed his eyes.

"The idea Lord Vader is that we stop her attacking convoys. Not give her more targets."

Vader nodded.

"Yes. But this time, there will be a difference. When she pops out of lightspeed to attack, the convoy will broadcast a surrender. Then, the fleet at the edge of the system will be able to come in from behind and blow them to oblivion."

Benun smiled.

"Simple plots are always the best." he said.

"Who do we send? Your own track record isn't that good in chasing her. And you cant get from here to…where are you going?"

"Bothawui. And Penish and Tarkin are already there." Vader said.

Palpatine smiled.

"Very well Lord Vader. Try this plan. And if it should fail…"

Vader bowed, and swept from the room. He didn't tell his master that the first stage of the plan was meant to fail.

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Shaak Ti smiled at them. The Council was fairly supportive of this plan.

Except one.

"Master Ti, I have a bad feeling about this." Ventress said.

Tra moaned.

"Now you've jinxed it." she complained.

Ventress ignored her and leaned forward.

"It smells like a trap." she warned.

K'kruhk tapped his chair.

"She does have a point. We've been hitting convoys for about a month now. They could be onto us." he said.

Silence echoed in the room.

"Well, I have an idea." Exaz said.

Shaak Ti shot her a dirty look.

"If you're thinking you can wear underwear on the outside to save on laundry bills, we've already ascertained that it doesn't work." she said peevishly.

Exaz ignored this.

"A small force will be all that is needed. We also need to try out the new cruisers that we've built. We can use this to test some of the new ships, and make it a small enough fleet that they can hop it if things look fishy." she said.

There were no objections.

"Very well. I shall take a small task force with Admiral Ackdara and a couple of our Knights, and be back before dessert." Shaak Ti said.

"Master Ti, you are the President. You cant keep shooting off at a second's notice." Jeisel scolded.

"I'm the President. I can so." Shaak Ti said childishly.

"Yes, but you leave us in charge. Exaz is quite a bad Vice President." Tsui groaned.

"Speak for yourself." Exaz said grumpily.

Shaak Ti rolled her eyes, and the rest of the Council got up and walked out, leaving the two in the chamber yelling.

"They must like each other." K'kruhk said mischievously, and they laughed.

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"Lord Vader."

Vader turned to see Benun.

"Yes Lord Benun?" Vader asked.

"My Dark Jedi wish to observe the situation firsthand. They want one of them to go and report back." the Gran Dark Jedi reported.

Vader sighed.

"They're too late. Penish and Tarkin are already underway."

"Do you think they can do it?" Benun asked sceptically.

"No. But it will curb their attacks on our convoys. Very well Benun. Pick one of them. Send them to the Bothawui system. They are to act like a Jedi General. Tarkin and Penish will complain, but I'm in charge and they aren't."

Benun nodded gravely.

"I take it you approve of one of them going?"

Benun made a rude noise.

"They sense that their power is in flux. If we do as the Emperor asks, they will be honoured beyond their wildest dreams. Ones who actually manage to kill Jedi will be very powerful after the Jedi are crushed. They seek to defeat one another with their minds. They're at each others throats." he said with distaste.

"Good." Vader said, and they went to the pub.

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"By all rights, it should be a quick in and out mission." Shaak Ti finished, looking at the assembled commanders.

Most of them were clones, but several ship commanders had been transferred from veteran ships to give the new ships experienced cruisers.

"The task force will arrive in system, hit the convoy, and get back out with relative ease." Ackdara said.

"Any Imperial forces around Bothawui?" a clone asked.

"Not that we know of. Granted, the convoy may have more support than armed freighters, but we shouldn't have much trouble. Any questions?"

"What if we get there, and things go wrong?" a Dashade captain asked.

"Define wrong." Shaak Ti said.

"The Imps have five ISDs waiting for us."

"If possible in such an event, we will flee in any direction, and return here to Moon Base after a few stops. If not, we flee to the edge of the system, and hope we get reinforced." Ackdara explained.

"May the Force be with you all." Shaak Ti said, and they all left.

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Benun entered the dark apartment that the Dark Jedi shared. Palpatine had branded them The Nine.

"Get down here you lot, I want to talk." he called.

"Why should we?" Nycros asked in a lazy voice.

"Because if you don't I will kick your backside from here to Tatooine boy. Move!" Benun roared.

They assembled before him. They were indeed at each other's throats. Zaza and Demona were still talking, and Tekul had joined them in the latest spate of word-wars. Bren'ya wasn't talking to anyone. Tion and Braniss, who normally got on quite well weren't talking, and Salmonella and Nycros, who were meant to be lovers, weren't talking either. Also, Demona and Zaza were normally ignored anyway because they liked Benun, so they weren't bothered. Tekul normally went with Tion and Bren'ya, with Braniss either siding with Nycros or Demona's group. But at the moment, with them all sensing that their power could vastly increase any time soon, they all were getting on each others nerves more than usual and were at each others throats. Benun had arrived just in time this week to prevent the death of two of the Nine, one duel between Nycros and Bren'ya, which the Bothan was losing, and one between Salmonella and Tion, which Tion had been losing.

"Forget your squabbles for a moment and listen to me. Vader has agreed that one of you is to go to observe Admiral Penish and Governor Tarkin at Bothawui."

"Ok." Nycros said, and moved towards the door.

Benun hit him with a Force push so that the filthy man went back to where he was.

"You dare you filthy alien…!" he began angrily, lighting his lightsaber.

Benun narrowed his three eyes.

"Remember who your master is and who trained you boy, or I will cut that disrespectful tongue from your head." he growled.

Nycros raised his lightsaber. The foolish brat obviously intended to make a show of himself.

Benun lit his lightsaber, rolling his eyes as he did so. He remembered back to many years ago, when Nycros had been a small boy who Palpatine had gotten him to train. Back then he'd been a relatively good boy. But as his powers developed, he'd grown arrogant, a flaw common in the Jedi Order in the final days. And when Palpatine had given him Salmonella, a girl only a year his junior to train, Nycros had gotten even more powerful, showing off to impress her. Eventually he'd grown very powerful, full of anger and rage, as Palpatine wanted, but also prejudiced, arrogant and obnoxious. He'd began thinking himself superior to all the others felt he was the Force's gift to the galaxy. He also washed very little and looked a mess. He was just so powerful and arrogant, he thought other people should run around after him. Benun regretted training him.

Salmonella had been a gift of an apprentice. She had trained well and hard, her powers growing steadily. However, she had started to pay more attention to Nycros than to Benun's teachings, and he'd been forced to bring her back to reality with a bump, as shed been losing herself in fantasies of her own power soon superseding that of her master. Benun had corrected the matter, but when the girl had been crying, he'd gotten lax. Confident her threat to his and Palpatine's schemes was over, he'd ignored her. Which had allowed Nycros to move in. Nycros had fed her resentment and anger with Benun until something, the respect and subservience she had to her master, had broken. Since then, she had been just as disdainful of Benun and prejudiced about him as Nycros, and just as arrogant. However, she at least kept herself presentable.

Demona was his favourite. A relative of the Separatist General Xalma, who had died during the war, she had been highlighted for training by Count Dooku after he became Darth Tyranus and had met with Xalma. She was the youngest of his students, the most agile, and one of the cleverest. Her grasp of the Force and it's dark side was great, and still had the respect and a form of love for the one who had trained her. He'd been the first strong male personality in her life, and he had trained her gladly. Since then, she'd always sided with her master, and that gave him a powerful supporter with the group of mewling brats, especially when Zaza came with her.

Zaza was his second favourite. A strong, hulking, tough Barabel, she'd been a happy accident. Her parent's ship had crashed right outside of their fortress on Zigoola, when they had been fleeing some pirates who'd attacked them. Benun, who'd trained most of his students by then, took her eagerly. She'd started slowly at first, and due to her looks and her species, the others had challenged her all the way through, aside from Tekul who'd taken a shine to her. This had stopped when an ambitious Braniss had challenged her and she'd nearly ripped his hand off with her teeth. Impressed by her strength and determination, Benun taught her other arts that the others knew little or nothing of, and she had become one of the most able of his apprentices. While confident in her abilities, Zaza wasn't arrogant, but was powerful, both physically and with the Force. She remained one of his supporters within the group.

Tekul was a strange one. One of the point zero zero zero one of the Hutt population with a decent amount of Force energy, he'd been picked up by Palpatine during a talk with a Hutt who had moved onto Naboo when he had been in the process of becoming a Senator. Palpatine had met with the Hutt, and had quietly kidnapped the boy when the Naboo police had stormed the place. He'd then sent the boy to Zigoola with Kinman Doriana, and Benun had trained him. Tekul had grasped his studies well, and had taught himself to use three lightsabers at once, working his muscles to become thin and powerfully-built Hutt. He was one of the strangest of the apprentices, and was usually aloof from the others, and was one of the few who could stand Bren'ya.

Bren'ya himself was not well thought of by the others. He had abandoned the Jedi Order as a Padawan and had fled to the dark side world of Zigoola, determined to make himself a threat to the Jedi Order which had somehow wronged him. Benun had found him and after some persuasion had completed his training and forged him into a weapon of the dark side. As he had already had some experience over the others who had been there at the time, he held himself apart from the rest and considered himself a superior to all of them. This fact, along with his usual Bothan tendencies, had enraged the others and led to his isolation from them all. However, he was one of the more cunning and far reaching members of the Nine.

Braniss, the Twi'lek wasn't as bad as some of the others. Sold into slavery at a young age, Benun had picked him up when he had gone out shopping. Sensing the Force, Benun had brought him home to be another apprentice. Braniss was relatively adept, but wasn't anything special like the others. He refused to get involved in the various squabbles the others participated in. His only flaw was that he hated his master. Benun had sensed that he was getting a bit too cocky about things for his own good, a bit too obsessed with own infallibility, Benun had demonstrated his folly. Braniss hated being made a fool of, and had hated Benun ever since.

Tion was the last of them. He'd been a pirate that had thought to set himself up on Zigoola. Benun had to deal with him in case he had spread the word that there was a nest of Dark Jedi on the planet. After killing the rest of his goons, and pinching a rather nice ship into the bargain, he'd found Tion, who had attacked him with a telekinetic shove that he had learned from a Zeison Sha Initiate on his ship. Benun had been impressed and had taken Tion in to train him. Tion however did not like Benun due to the fact that he had slaughtered most of the crew, and was only using him to further his own ends.

Benun glared at Nycros, who leapt at him, his filthy hair and lightsaber swinging. Benun caught his attack easily and crashed his fist into the boy's stomach. Nycros staggered back, swearing. Benun then came at him, and utilised the full power of Form V, beating down at Nycros' defences. Nycros, shocked and enraged at how well the alien was forcing him back, gave a roar and summoned Tion's lightsaber from his belt and lit the blade. Benun gave a pitiful shake of his head and crashed his lightsaber into both of his apprentice's, hitting them so hard they cartwheeled out of his hand and stuck in the wall, narrowly missing Bren'ya and Zaza, who were cursing Nycros fluently in Huttese.

Benun then slid his lightsaber across both of Nycros' arms, his legs and the two sides of his neck, before making another wound on his chest, using his Shiim techniques.. The boy dropped down, screaming in terror, rage and pain. Benun tutted, and grabbed Nycros' filthy hair.

"I am still the master." he growled, and threw the boy to the floor.

As Nycros curled up and cursed Benun, the Gran turned to observe Tion struggling to get his lightsaber out of the wall. Rolling his eyes, he turned to the others.

"As I was saying, Vader has agreed to let one of you go to observe the trap at Bothawui. Zaza, you will go."

Zaza bowed and walked from the room, knocking Tion away from the wall with her tail as she went so that he fell off his lightsaber, being to small to get it without aid of a chair.

"Tekul, there is a Hutt boss in the Undercity who may be connected to the Whiplash. He may be used to find this Jax Pavan fellow Vader is looking for. See to it."

Tekul inclined his head and slithered out of the room, going right over Nycros and covering him in slime.

"And you Bren'ya, Senator Chuchi is getting a bit vocal. Talk with her and make sure she keeps her mouth shut a bit. She is a relatively good politician, so do not upset her." The Bothan also left.

"You lot, attend to your studies. I'm going to the pub. And Salmonella…"

She had bent down to help Nycros up.

"Don't bother helping him." he snarled, and left the room.

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Zaza stalked onto the bridge of her private VSD, the _Rage_.

"Captain, set your courzz for the Bothawui system."

He nodded, and Zaza stood in front of the viewport, and took a deep breath. The hunt was about to begin.

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The task force shot into the system, with the convoy right ahead.

"Well, so far so good." Syron said as the fleet moved in.

Shaak Ti frowned. Something wasn't right.

"Be wary." she said worriedly.

Vella looked at her in concern, before Admiral Ackdara's voice cut over the system.

"Imperial convoy, this is Admiral Ackdara of the Jedi fleet. Surrender now, or be destroyed." she warned.

"This is Captain Farhais of the Empire. You Jedi wont escape this time." he sneered.

"Admiral, watch out!" Shaak Ti screeched into the comm.

As if my magic, squadrons of TIE fighters shot out from convoy, and the convoy ships began turning.

"All ships, battle stations! Red alert! Get all fighters going now!" Ackdara yelled.

As their own fighters streamed from the cruisers, Shaak Ti took her position at the computer screen.

"Oh farty towels." she cursed.

"How bad is it?" Vella asked,

"Think crisis but bigger."

"Damn it!"

Twelve fighter squadrons, two entire wings, were streaking out of the convoy ships, which were armed with heavy turbolasers and missile launchers.

"Shaak Ti…" Syron began.

"If you say 'my ship is going to get shot' I will slowly stick your head into a food processor!" she snapped.

Syron frowned.

"I wasn't going to say that. I was going to warn you that something large is coming out of hyperspace."

"Oh joy. What is the God of Fortune spitting at me now?" she asked bitterly.

A VSD shot into the system.

"Feck." she swore.

"This is Ackdara. _Lucky_, _Tramp_ and _Domino _are to go straight trough the convoy, help get rid of the fighters. _Remembrance_, deal with the VSD. _Terror_, _Yoda_ and _Doneeta _are to obliterate that convoy as once. _Bastila_, _Revan_ and _Bold _are to hang back, while all other ships provide covering fire! Fighters, engage those TIEs and keep them away from the cruisers! Move people!"

Space filled with laser bolts as the ISD, VSD and Vengeance frigate pounced on the oncoming convoy, firing at as many ships as their heavy turbolaser cannons could reach. The _Remembrance_ twirled and headed towards the newly-arrived VSD. Shaak Ti braced as a TIE bomber dropped a bomb on the ship.

"Stop trying to blow holes in my ship!" Syron yelled.

Ackdara's _Swift _was heading straight in between the heavy freighters and tankers that the Empire had filled with fighters and armed with turbolasers. As fighters blew apart around the task force, Ackdara's frigate got into the centre of the formation and let loose with cluster bombs.

Massive holes were ripped in the sides of the frigates and fire spewed from them into space. While they had been heavily armed, they had not been heavily shielded.

"Down to two dozen freighters and tankers!" Shaak Ti called.

Two Torrent fighters were blown apart as they shot past the viewport.

"Admiral?" Shaak Ti asked.

"Well, its touch and go. We still have numbers, and the three heavy cruisers are ripping apart the freighters with a vengeance. The _Remembrance _is definitely passing its test drive I'd say. It's shelling the stuffing out of the _Rage_."

Syron grinned as the _Terror _blew apart another part of the convoy.

"Where did the VSD come from?" Vella asked.

"We don't know, but it wont be around much longer." Ackdara promised.

Outside, it was clear that the Imps had lost the battle. There were only three freighters left and the Imperial fighters, despite causing a lot of damage, had been scattered and defeated. While some of the ships had taken heavy damage when they were caught by surprise, the battle was effectively over.

Only the _Rage _was still fighting. Shaak Ti frowned at it.

"There's a Dark Jedi aboard that ship." she said.

"Who? Vader?"

"No. Less than he is. But still dangerous. Admiral, take down that VSD."

"As you wish. Recall all fighters."

As the fighters began to return to their ships, the rest of the taskforce turned its guns to the VSD.

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Zaza snarled as another shot rocked her ship.

"Blast the Jedi!" she roared, slamming her tail to the ground.

"Begging your pardon my lady, but weren't Admiral Penish and Governor Tarkin meant to be here?" the captain asked.

Zaza snarled and activated the comm to Benun on Coruscant.

"Master!" she wailed as another heavy turbolaser blast from the ringed rocket outside hit the ship.

"Zaza, what's wrong?" he asked in concern.

"Penish and Tarkin no here, thatzz what!" she roared as another blast rocked the ship.

"My lady…"

"I'm on the phone!"

"Its Penish!"

"Never mind then."

She turned off the comm to witness Penish's fleet shooting into the system, all turbolasers blazing, closely followed by Tarkin's.

"Thatzz better." she said happily.

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"All forces, emergency action!" Ackdara barked.

The three freighters, which had been travelling back to the formation had just been annihilated by heavy fire from the _Execrutix_.

"Oh my!" Teecee squealed, as Syron pulled the ship up to avoid a collision with the _Obsession_.

"Whoa!" he cried as a turbolaser blast grazed the bridge.

"Admiral!" Shaak Ti cried.

"We just lost the three freighters. Those poor souls never stood a chance. And they caught four of our fighter squadrons all at once!" she yelled.

"What do we do?" she asked the Admiral.

"All craft, suppressing fire. As soon as the fighters are all stowed, we flee to the edge of the system."

"Why not straight home?" Syron asked, as Softy howled.

"Look at Tarkin's fleet. Penish's is dealing with us, and Tarkin is moving to blockade Bothawui. They're up to something. We cant let them suffer." Ackdara said.

"And that Dark Jedi is still here." Shaak Ti said.

"Fine. Just so long as we know."

The fleet came together and started to accelerate to the jump point before Penish's forces could block them. Behind them, Tarkin's fleet was moving into blockade position around the planet. Turbolaser fire from the three ISDs in Penish's fleet were blasting away at several ships shields.

"The _Interest _reports that their shields are disappearing!" someone yelled.

With that the Rocketship was blown apart.

"All craft, prepare for jump to hyperspace!" Ackdara yelled.

The Jedi fleet shot away from the system, determined to return in more favourable circumstances.

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The Imperial fleet immediately set about blockading Bothawui. While Tarkin dealt with that matter, Penish reported to Vader.

"My lord, the plan worked. It was a convoy of ships well spent I think. We caught their ships and have forced them into hiding. It wont be long now."

Vader nodded, impressed.

"Well done Admiral. Where are they?"

"They've fled to the edge of the system for now. Once we establish order on Bothawui, we will go after them."

Vader looked at him sharply.

"Tarkin hasn't actually sent troops down to the planet has he?"

"Yes."

"Idiot. The Emperor will go bananas."

Penish frowned.

"He means to take over the Spynet, and get the Bothans as slaves I think."

Vader shook his head.

"The Bothans will not be slaves. They are far too proud. Too late now. Let him see his own folly."

Penish inclined his head gravely.

"Who did Benun send?"

"The Barabel." he said with distaste.

"Hmm. How was she there before you?" Vader asked.

"Faster ships, and she didn't have to wait for Tarkin." Penish said grumpily.

"You are to treat her as you would have treated a Jedi General during the war Admiral. Differ to her unless you feel she is unable to command efficiently."

Penish snarled, but nodded. Vader vanished after giving a nod.

"Admiral, the Dark Jedi wishes to come over!"

Penish twirled.

"She what?" he demanded.

"She's coming over!"

Penish panicked. If the powers that be found out he had a Jedi…

"Get all available ysalamiri to the bridge at once! I shall meet her and hold her off!"

Penish then hurried to meet the coming Dark Jedi.

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The shuttle settled in the hangar of the _Vendetta_, where it was flanked by two columns of stormtroopers. The hatch opened and the hulking Barabel stumped down the ramp, and was meet by Penish.

"Lady Zaza. Welcome aboard the _Vendetta_. We are honoured by your presence." he said, putting on his best sabaac face.

Zaza grasped his hand in her claws, and set off.

"You informed Lord Vader of the Jediz escape?"

"Yes. We are ready to go as soon as Tarkin finishes on the planet."

"Good. You also told him that they have new shipz?" she asked.

"We've sent the data to him."

"Good. You have tracked the Jedi?"

"Of course. We only await Tarkin."

"And the repairz to my ship. It waz damaged az you were late." she snarled.

"I apologise for that Lady Zaza. However, Tarkin held us up."

Zaza snarled.

"Then I shall deal with him. But after I have dealt with the Jedi." she snarled.

Penish nodded gravely.

"If you will excuse me Lady Zaza, I shall have a task force sent over to repair your cruiser."

Zaza smiled.

"Be sure that you do Admiral. Then…we shall crush the Jedi." she hissed.

**The Empire has taken Bothawui, and the Jedi have been forced to retreat.**

**Will Penish and Tarkin catch the Jedi? Will Zaza get them? Will she find Sha Koon on Penish's ISD? Will Tarkin subdue the Bothans?**

**What will happen next?**

**Cant remembe,r so youll have to wait until I write it to find out!**

**Until then, please read, review, and please even if it doesnt affect you, vote in the poll!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

27

The fleet was in a small moon with a dense atmosphere not far from Bothawui.

"What just happened?" Syron asked the assembled team as they sat in Ackdara's quarters.

"I fear this could be another enslavement drive." Zao said sadly.

"Or worse. The Emperor must know we have allies in the Spynet. With that gone, our ability to attack will be severely impeded." Bultar warned.

Shaak Ti looked at Ackdara.

"Can we break the blockade and rescue the Bothans?" she asked.

Ackdara shook her head.

"Not as it stands. There's three ISDs and their fighter complement to get through before we get anywhere close. And ten VSDs. We don't have that kind of firepower." she said sadly.

"Then we need reinforcements if we are to aid the Bothans." Minul concluded.

"I have sent a message to General Argron asking for help, but I'm not sure how quickly it will arrive, or what he will send. As such, we need to be prepared to ward off the enemy. It's our fault that they arte under attack due to the number of convoys we've hit in the area of Bothan space. It's only fair that the Empire try to run us out of it." Ackdara said.

Shaak Ti frowned.

"I felt a Dark Jedi with that fleet. She was on the first VSD." she warned.

"Then we shall have to deal with her too. We cant allow Dark Jedi to run around amok." Kai Hudorra said sagely.

"Agreed my friend."

Ackdara steepled her fingers.

"So, for now, we prepare to ward off the Empire and hold out for reinforcements? Then we go after them and force them away from Bothawui and deal with the Dark Jedi?" Ackdara asked.

"Yes."

"Then may the Force be with us."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zaza, Penish and Tarkin stood on the bridge of the _Vendetta_, reporting to the Emperor, Vader and Benun.

"We forced them away from Bothawui, and our agent in the Spynet is narrowing down the possible locations of where they have fled to." Penish reported.

"You are confident they are still in the system?" Vader asked.

"Yes. They blame themselves for the Bothan's predicament. As such they are going to remain behind to try to stop us." Penish said smugly.

Vader nodded and they turned to Tarkin.

"Why did you invade the planet? That will only aggravate the Bothans and their neighbours and they will be more and more willing to give information to Shaak Ti's pathetic little band." Palpatine sneered.

Tarkin shook his head.

"Our spy is cracking down on those who gave her information my Emperor. And we can always use the labour." he said suggestively.

Palpatine conceded this.

"Make no mistake Governor Tarkin. If there are repercussions to your invasion of Bothawui, you will deal with them. Good or bad." Benun warned, his three eyes narrowed.

"With respect, _sir_, you do not have the authority to order me to do anything." Tarkin growled.

"He has more authority than you Tarkin. And he is correct. If we suffer because of this, you will suffer for it." Vader warned.

Tarkin bowed his head, and Palpatine turned to Zaza.

"Lady Zaza, I assume you are going to make sure that no quarter is given?" he asked.

"No my lordzz. As soon as my ship is totally repaired we are going after them. We shall leave half of Tarkinzz fleet here while we crush their fleet. They were shocked with the last attack. Now we shall finish them." she promised.

"Excellent. See that you do Lady Zaza, and the future will be bright for you." Palpatine said.

Zaza hissed in pleasure.

"One other thing my lords." Penish said.

"Yes?" Vader asked.

"The Jedi have created new cruisers." he said gravely.

"New cruisers?" Benun demanded.

"Yes. I'm sending you the tactical readouts now."

Vader looked at the readouts with Benun.

"Do they pose a threat?" Palpatine asked them.

"It seems so my master. This one, the one you say is called the _Revenge_ class Cruiser, the big rocket like one, looks to be capable of taking on an ISD. The moon shaped one, the _Vengeance _class Frigate looks to be capable of taking on a VSD. And the other wee one looks like it's a troop transport, the _Retribution_ class. All in all, their enterprising can cause us a pain in the whatsits if they so choose." Vader concluded.

"Deal with it Admiral." Palpatine ordered, uninterested.

"Of course my lord."

"Fight well." Benun said, and the holo vanished.

Zaza turned to Tarkin.

"If you ever address my master like that I again I will rip your head off." she growled.

Tarkin backed away as she flashed her teeth.

"My lady, your ship has been repaired." Penish said uncaring from behind her.

"Excellent Admiral. I shall return to my ship. Prepare your fleetzz gentlemen. Today we crush the Resistance!" she said, before sweeping from the room.

Penish watched her go, then stop. His heart started to beat faster as she stopped outside where he had Sha Koon.

"Strange. I sense something…" she said, then trotted off.

Penish let out a sigh of relief.

"The sooner she's gone the better." Tarkin snarled contemptuously.

Penish nodded as Tarkin left the bridge.

It was time to bring an end to the Resistance.

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"Admiral, you should see this." an ensign said from his crew station.

"Yes?" she asked, peering over his shoulder.

"Three cruisers have just dropped out of lightspeed and are broadcasting a strange sequence." he said.

Shaak Ti, who had been chatting with a young lieutenant on the most recent events in the soap Doctors, came over.

"A strange signal you say?" she asked.

"Yes mam. Look."

He showed a series of blips along the screen.

"Orders?"

"I suggest we contact them Admiral." Kai Hudorra said as he arrived.

"Indeed my friend. That is a Bothan signal." Shaak Ti confirmed.

"Bothans? But how did their fleet get away from Bothawui?" Ackdara asked.

"I don't think it is from Bothawui. It's most likely from Kothlis. And from the Spynet." Kai said.

"Invite them my boy." Ackdara said, and beckoned to the two Jedi and they went to greet their guests.

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The commander arrived in the hangar of the _Swift_. He was a Bothan, as expected, with brown fur and white splotches, including one they divided his snout from the rest of his face.

"Salutations Master Shaak Ti. The air is clear." He said as he shook her hand.

"And the birds are singing." She answered, surprised.

"Que?" Ackdara asked in confusion.

"My apologies Admiral Ackdara. I am Commander Scu'ya, of the Kothlis Parent Defence Force." He said, shaking her hand.

"Never heard of it." She said.

"You wouldnt have. I made it up to get past the Imperial Customs Dreadnaught that was floating around." He said mischievously.

Ackdara smiled, then looked at Shaak Ti.

"What was that about clear birds and singing skies?" she asked.

"It's a Spynet code. I can hardly remember the last time I used it." She said wistfully.

"You're part of the Spynet?" Ackdara asked in confusion.

"I was a temporary member many moons ago. The fact that I was greeted with such a code can only mean one thing: the same reason myself and my master were at Bothawui over thirty years ago is happening again. Isnt it?" Shaak Ti asked.

Ackdara was looking very confused, and Scu'ya finally decided to put her out of her misery.

"Thirty years ago, Shaak Ti and her master were sent to Bothawui to deal with a problem in the Spynet. One of the ruling Triumvirate had gone rogue, and were selling all they knew for profit. Shaak Ti and her master were sent to infiltrate the Spynet. There were two of the few outsiders who were accepted into the network. They eventually rooted out the problem and helped us move in. They were also the outsiders who got the furthest, becoming Tier Three spies." Scu'ya explained.

"Now, I take it another member has gone rogue?" Shaak Ti asked.

"Yes, but they are selling our secrets to the Empire. One of the Triumvirate has gone rogue, and a lot of the Spynet is in question. Thats one of the reasons Tarkin has dared to invade the planet. He wants to find out who the Triumvirate member is, and we think he also wants Bothan slaves for some building project that the Empire is performing." Scu'ya said.

"So he's actually invaded?" Ackdara asked.

"Yes. Not in force, but just enough to make a few people disappear now and then, and as it isn't a full fledged invasion, the other allies of Bothawui aren't responding the way Kothlis is." Scu'ya said.

"But why are you?" Shaak Ti asked.

"It is our parent world, and as well as that, we want to find out who the traitor n the Triumvirate is, and deal with them with Bothan justice. As such, we pledge our three cruisers to your cause, as long as you assist us in finding the traitor and freeing Bothawui." Scu'ya said.

Ackdara looked out the viewport to see the three cruisers. Oblong in shape, with a raised winged command structure, it had the build of a Carrack cruiser.

"Impressive. What are they?"

"Assault cruisers. And we've tested them. They're capable of taking on an ISD together, and a VSD each." Scu'ya said.

"Excellent." Shaak Ti grinned.

"How do you come by them?" Ackdara asked.

"Well we began building them for our own defence before the Battle of Rendili during the war. When Palpatine nationalised them all, it didn't do us many favours, but we kept building them just in case, and kept they hidden until we needed them."

"I graciously accept your offer Commander. I suggest you return to your ships however. The Empire is undoubtedly on the way. We shall hold here, and then we can deal with Bothawui once we receive reinforcements." Ackdara said.

Scu'ya bowed, and left.

"The Spynet with a traitor?" she asked worriedly.

"Don't worry. Once theyre caught, they wont be much more hassle." Shaak Ti said confidently.

Ackdara sighed, and beckoned Shaak Ti to follow her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ackdara consulted the other commanders via holo.

"Right. The loss of the freighters certainly threw us, and the arrival of so many Imperials in such force. We're outgunned, no doubt, but we must hold out until General Argron arrives with reinforcements."

"How much can we withstand?" Syron asked.

"A bit. Two of our ships at present can tackle an ISD, and if the Bothans deal with the other, that should be Penish's main fleet occupied. On the other hand we have the VSDs to deal with, at least seven if they want to hold Bothawui. And there's the strike cruisers and Dreadnaughts to worry about." Ackdara warned.

"How many fighter squadrons do we have?" Zett asked worriedly.

"Twenty one, as opposed to more than double that. We'll have to be very careful. The gases of the moon should protect us for a bit, but it will be nasty for a while. We must hold out. If not, we're done for." she warned.

Shaak Ti nodded.

"All we need to do is hold out until General Argron arrives. Then, we can face the enemy and free Bothawui." she said.

"I have a surprise up my sleeve for when we get there. So, to see it, you need to survive." Ackdara said tantalisingly.

Shaak Ti sent her a questioning look, and the Admiral grinned.

"Man your ships, and may the Force be with us. We'll need it."

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The Imperial fleet lanced out of hyperspace, and Zaza turned to Penish and the hologram of Tarkin.

"I shall lead the fighter attack from my own ship." she said.

"Would you like me to direct the battle then Lady Zaza?" Penish asked.

"No. I'll split myself in two and do it myself. Of course I want you to you idiot!" she stormed and swept off the bridge.

Tarkin sent him a glance.

"And we though Vader was grumpy."

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Fighter after fighter dropped out of the hold's of the Star Destroyers and the support ships. Meanwhile, further below, in the moon's atmosphere, the Jedi fleet lay in wait.

"It's confirmed. We have three ISDs, seven VSDs, two Dreadnaughts and two Strike Cruisers, giving us a total of thirty six squadrons." Ackdara warned.

Shaak Ti, sitting in the cockpit of her Delta-7, frowned.

"Right, all fighters, form up. We need to hit them hard and fast. We have an advantage called shields, whereas they don't. If we hit them hard enough, they should lose focus." she said.

"Acknowledged." Minul reported.

The first of the enemy fighters began to descend through the mists of the moon.

"Attack!" Ackdara barked.

The fighter force leapt forward, with Shaak Ti's lasers blasting two TIEs out of existence as they registered the presence of the Jedi fleet.

"Enemy ships are beginning to descend into the mist." Syron reported as the _Silver Blade_ blew apart three fighters.

The Star Destroyers and their escorts were indeed descending and firing away, their turbolasers blasting away at the shields of the Jedi cruisers.

"Power to shields!" Ackdara said, and the battle truly began.

Fighters flew through the clouds of gas. Shaak Ti ambushed two TIEs and she could feel the battle raging around her as people on both sides were blown apart. Minul appeared from the back of the _Doneeta_ and blasted two TIE Bombers that were trying to take down the new cruiser.

The _Vendetta_ was locked in combat with the _Terror_, while the _Remembrance _pounded away at the _Mission_. The other ships were hard pressed to hold off the advancing enemy cruisers, as the battle between the fighter forces raged around them. A half squadron appeared out of nowhere and destroyed an entire squadron of Torrent fighters.

"Blast them." Shaak Ti growled and sped toward them, her lasers firing.

Rox whistled in terror.

"Calm down Rox dear. They're only TIEs." she soothed as her lasers ripped two apart.

The other four looped around and started to chase after her.

"Ah. Not part of the plan." she said, and plummeted toward the _Swift_ which was battling one of the Strike Cruisers, the _Crusher_.

She skimmed along the surface, the fighters hot on her tail. She then slammed the brakes and burled around to let loose with her lasers, blasting another two to smithereens. The other two fighters climbed away from the danger, before diving back at her. Shaak Ti accelerated along the stern of the Mon Cal frigate, their lasers harmlessly bouncing against the cruiser's shields. The _Bastila_ was firing at the oncoming fighters that were bugging it, and the TIEs were winning.

"Minul, Quin, the _Bastila _is in trouble." she said, wincing as a laser blast came a bit close.

"On it." Quin responded.

A blast then took out her pursuers from behind her.

"Thanks Softy." she said, and received a howl in return as the Corvette also went to the assistance of the transport.

The battle between the fighter forces was becoming more evenly matched, as the Jedi pilots had the advantage of shields, but it was a narrow margin. Eventually the shields on the Jedi fighters would fall and they'd be as defenceless as the TIEs.

"Kai, Bultar, with me." she said.

The two other Jedi caught up with her, and they sped towards a dense cluster of TIEs.

"What's the plan?" Bultar asked them.

"Shoot them! We need to narrow the enemy fighters down or we definitely wont last until Argron gets here. Get them!" she urged and let loose with a missile.

It exploded at the intended point and the blast hid the three Jedi from the enemy sensors. Kai then burled in, his lasers pounding and cutting four ships to pieces, while Bultar banked to the right and made a strafing run, three more meeting their fate. Shaak Ti then sped through the flare and shot apart three more. The other two climbed away, but they were caught in a laser blast from the _Yoda_.

"Rox, get me a count on how many fighter squadrons they've lost."

Rox whistled at her.

"Five you say? How many are we down?"

A negative sounding whistle followed.

"Same? Buggeration. Come on people, they're only TIEs. Blow them apart!"

A blast then rocked the back of the ship.

"What the?"

A StarViper attack fighter appeared from nowhere, and Shaak Ti cursed. The Dark Jedi had entered the battle, and she was heading for the _Bold_.

"You want to play? Let's play then." Shaak Ti snarled and went off in pursuit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Penish looked out at the battle. The fighters were putting up a good fight, blasting many of his ships apart. However, the cruisers were at a disadvantage. They may not kill all the Jedi Rebellion, but Shaak Ti and Ackdara would certainly die, and bring an end to their threat.

"Admiral, we have reports from Bothawui of a sensor shadow."

"Immaterial. Once we deal with the enemy here, the Jedi Rebellion will seek to exist. Prepare for absolute victory."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shaak Ti pumped laser shots at Zaza, but the Dark Jedi was very good. She kept weaving in and out of her attacks, while all the other fighters continued to blast apart TIEs. The cruisers, while they were putting up a good fight and causing a lot of damage in the Imperial fleet, were losing the battle.

"Come on Dark witch, hold still." Shaak Ti cursed.

Zaza then twirled her ship around and sped at her, lasers blasting. Shaak Ti flew upward, her own lasers cutting apart two TIEs that were fool enough to fly over her.

"No, I'm meant to be shooting you, not vice versa, fool." she cursed as a shot clipped her fighter.

Zaza grinned as Shaak Ti accelerated away. Time to end the Jedi threat once and for all.

Shaak Ti then slammed on her brakes. Rox hooted in alarm and Zaza had to jerk her ship away to avoid a collision. Shaak Ti then whirled her fighter about and fired a missile at her enemy. The Dark Jedi flew at the _Yoda _and let the missile crash into the shield. Zaza then fired a barrage of missiles at Shaak Ti.

"Buggeration and fu…" she screamed as Rox took over the ship to get them away from their deaths.

"…Ery." she finished as the ship balanced out.

"The missiles are still coming you daft droid! Hang on!"

Rox twittered angrily, and she shot away, junking to try to lose the missiles. She then saw the _Vendetta_ firing away at the _Remembrance_ and shot toward it, and skimmed the top of the shields, slowly climbing towards the bridge. The missiles impacted the shield, and one blew a hole in part of the command tower. She cursed as she saw that she had lost Zaza, and surveyed the battle. They were going to lose the battle unless they were reinforced soon. They had put up a mighty defence and had smashed their TIE force, but the cruisers were still firing away, bold as brass.

"Come on General." Shaak Ti said.

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Argron's task force arrived out of lightspeed and descended on the Imperial forces with a vengeance. The Mon Cal cruiser _Liberty_ was backed up by the frigates _Slash _and _Strike_, and the _Millionaire_ was also present. Ventress' entire fleet was there, the Providence _Last Call_, the two Recusants _Last Chance _and _Last Resort_ and the two Munificents, the _Last Lesson_ and the_ Last Command_. The fleet that Exaz had helped swipe from Sullust was there, the Liberator Cruiser _Infuriator_, the Nebulon Bs _Spectrum_, _Vanguard _and _Safeguard_, and the five Consular cruisers, the _Justice_, _Security_, _Mourning_, _Diplomacy_ and _Scarlet_. Two ships they had received from the grateful Corporate Sector were there, the Dreadnaught _Picket_ and the Marauder _Talentless_. They also had Jula Shryne's Broadside Cruiser, the _Bearing_ and a new ship from Whie's designs, the _Forceful_. The new arrivals immediately opened fire onto the enemy ships, gouts of flame and debris rising from the ships.

"Got ya. _Bold_, stop them, and we've got them." Shaak Ti said and accelerated towards the big fight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Penish swore as the new fleet dropped out of hyperspace and started pounding their fleet.

"Penish, we cant win!" Tarkin grumbled in a low voice.

"I'm aware of that. We have no choice. Lady Zaza, we must retreat." he said into the comm.

"I concur Admiral. Get all fighterzzz aboard and get us out of here." she ordered.

"We cant until we take down that CC7700." Tarkin said.

"Leave that to me."

Penish didn't know how one fighter could take down a cruiser, especially a large boxy one like the _Bold_, even if it was lightly armed.

"Recall all fighters and prepare to retreat." Penish ordered, and watched the holo as the ship began to turn. If she did it quickly, something could still be salvaged form this mission.

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Zaza shot towards the interdictor ship. Flicking a small switch, she armed the last two missiles in her chute to become radioactive. Following a string of normal missiles a hit by two nukes would tear the ship into pieces.

She heard Minul cry over the radio.

"Do you sense what she's going to do!? We must stop her."

"Too late Jedi." she snarled.

With that, her six remaining missiles thundered into the wings of the cruiser. The first two blew a hole in the shield, the next two ignited the antimatter that was in the gravity wells and the last two, the nukes, slammed into the burning wings of the ship. The fire spread, and the ship blew apart into smithereens.

"Thankzzz Jedi." Zaza said evilly, and flashed away to lightspeed with the fleet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shaak Ti shook her head sadly.

"How can one fighter totally destroy a cruiser with such ease?" she asked wearily.

"The last two missiles she had were nukes. After the two before lit the antimatter, it didn't stand a chance." Argron said sadly.

"What's our next move?" Syron asked.

Ackdara smiled.

"We're going to give a surprise to the Imps, and liberate Bothawui into the bargain. Prepare for battle."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zaza snarled.

"The enemy will be coming here. As such, I have summoned the Outer Rim Patrol Fleet to reinforce uzzz. We shall catch them totally off guard." she declared.

"How did you get Commander Varx to agree to that?" Tarkin demanded.

"Every time anyone but the Emperor or Vader gets him to do something, he tells you to get stuffed!" Penish grumbled indignantly.

Zaza smiled evilly.

"I helpzz when you know where hizz wife lives so you can threaten her. Prepare for battle gentlemen. We shall crush the Jedi this time!"

**Apologies this has taken so long to update! It's been ages, so I decided I better do some of Dark Times before the ones who read it gave up!**

**A battle has been fought in Bothan space and the end of the Bothawui trilogy is coming soon hopefully!**

**What is Ackdara's surprise? Will the Jedi free Bothawui? What will happen to the traitor in the Spynet?**

**The Bothan ships are basically the same as the Assault ships from the NJO series. That will be explained one day...maybe;)**

**When the last of the Jedi ships are built and ina ction I will give full descriptions of them, but until then, you'll have to pretend:P**

**Hopefully this will be done soon, but I want to do some of Primeval too.**

**Hope to update soon, but until then, please read and review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

28

Shaak Ti looked at the holo in the briefing room. The reinforcements had certainly saved the day. Now, they had to save Bothawui.

"Our main problem will be Admiral Penish's fleet. It's by far the stronger fleet." Ackdara said as she generated the ships around the planet.

General Argron nodded sagely.

"We can hit them easily enough. We can take on six ISD's with our heavy cruisers, and he only has three. As such, the main problem is the VSDs. They're too many if you ask me." He said, looking worried.

Ackdara smiled mysteriously. Whatever she had up her sleeve they weren't going to find out about it until it was time.

Shaak Ti pondered the situation. They had to help the Bothans find the traitor in the Spynet, along with breaking the blockade. That would involve landing troops, which would mean a prolonged occupation if it took them a while to find the mole. That of course gave the Imps more scope for a retaliatory strike. They needed to get down to the planet as quickly as possible.

"Admiral, we need to get to the planet to help the Bothans find the traitor." She reminded her.

"Absolutely. Our honour demands it." Scu'ya stated.

Ackdara pursed her lips. If they blockaded the world, they would be susceptible to attack from behind. And, even though they knew they were on their side, they couldn't stay orbiting Bothawui forever, and if the Bothans lowered their own shields, the Empire's repercussions would destroy the planet.

"Why don't we try a Force cloak?" Exaz, who'd arrived with the reinforcements, suggested.

Shaak Ti considered it.

"What's a Force cloak?" Vella asked.

"A risky move. We'd be flying blind into battle. Granted, the enemy wouldn't be able to detect us, but if something went wrong the consequences could be disastrous. We'd be putting the lives of the entire fleet into the hands of a few." Minul said cautiously.

"It could work though. We would be able to get much closer to the planet. And as we need to get troops down onto the planet, we need to get there before the Bothans can raise the shields, which if we drop out of lightspeed normally we wont be able to do, and we'd be facing a protracted land engagement, which we aren't ready for yet." Ventress, also newly arrived, added.

Zao tapped his teeth.

"It has advantages. But if we mistimed, we will either crash into their fleet, crash into the planet or get dragged into the gravity well."

Quin nodded.

"He's right. But so is Ventress."

The Jedi all turned to Shaak Ti, who nodded.

"We don't have another choice. We shall use the cloak. And hope we don't fluff it up. May the Force be with us."

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Tarkin bowed his head respectively.

"I expected more from you Lady Zaza." Palpatine added.

Zaza smiled slightly.

"Fear not my Emperor. I have a plan. The Jedi will have to accelerate their planzz when I perform it." She assured him.

Benun nodded.

"See my Emperor? Nothing to worry about. What is your plan my pupil?" Benun asked.

Zaza grinned.

"It's a surprise. Dont worry. It will lure the Jedi into our trap. We have three fleets here. We shall crush them, even with their reinforcements." She said excitedly.

Penish looked at her sceptically.

"Really? They have a large fleet, and we only have five extra cruisers." He said.

Zaza grinned.

"Which is why I have summoned the entire Dark Jedi fleet also. That will crush them." She said confidently.

Benun looked at her indignantly.

"I wondered where that had gone!" he exclaimed.

Zaza hissed in amusement. Palpatine raised an eyebrow.

"You thought you'd lost your fleet?" he asked, bemused.

Benun blushed slightly.

"Well, I was playing war games on the internet last night. It wouldn't be the first time I've gotten confused and sent the real fleet away." He said cheerily.

Palpatine rolled his eyes, and Vader disguised a laugh as a cough.

"Make sure you bring them all back though." Benun said.

Zaza nodded.

"Even the other's ones?" she asked, pouting.

"Even them. They aren't on them. If they were you could blow them up, but they aint. So, all ships back please." He said.

Palpatine then fixed his eyes on the three leaders.

"Very well. Proceed. And make sure you crush them this time!" he ordered, and they vanished.

Zaza smiled in anticipation.

"Prepare for victory gentlemen. Today, we crush the Jedi!"

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The first few tests worked, and they were ready.

"So, you Commander will come down to the planet with me and we shall deal with the traitor in the Triumvirate. Ackdara will deal with the fleet." Shaak Ti said.

"What about ground troops? We'll need to stop them." Ventress pointed out.

"That will be your responsibility. You can go with Exaz and Minul. It isn't an occupational force, merely a peacekeeping one, so it shouldn't be much Jedi for such esteemed personages as yourselves." She said with a smile.

Exaz giggled.

"What about the Dark Jedi?" Kai asked.

"If we run into her, I shall deal with her. It's been a while since I flexed the old duelling muscles." Shaak Ti said.

They nodded, and dispersed, ready to free Bothawui.

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Zaza smiled evilly as the fleet positioned itself over three cities.

"Fire at will. It will draw the Jedi to us." She said with satisfaction.

Turbolaser bolts began to fall from the Star Destroyer's. Panic ensued in the cities, as Bothans ran around in chaos, as fire spread through the city streets and the bodies started to rise. Zaza smiled as the death poured into the Force.

The Jedi would run headlong into the trap.

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Shaak Ti gasped and clutched her heart.

"Master Ti?" Syron asked nervously.

"She's drawing us out, she's bombarding the planet. She's doing it to get to us. We need to go now, or thousands of Bothans will die." She said weakly.

Vella leaned into the comm..

"Admiral, Master Ti says we have to go now." She said.

"Acknowledged. Prepare for battle."

The Force swelled as all the Jedi in the fleet immersed the group into their cover. Syron looked at the viewport, and watched as the _Justice_ simply vanished.

"Well that's just weird." He said.

The _Last Call _then vanished and all around them various ships flickered out of view. The _Silver Blade_ was surrounded by nothing.

"Why haven't we disappeared?" Teecee asked.

Shaak Ti smiled, her eyes closed.

"We have. Dont worry. We can see each other, but no one can see us. Now hush. We must all join our minds..." she said.

Silence reigned, until she spoke again.

"All Jedi report ready. Prepare for the jump to hyperspace."

Vella relayed the information.

"Hold on." She ordered, and the fleet shot towards Bothawui.

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Zaza frowned. She could feel the Jedi approaching, but they weren't setting off any sensor buoys.

"Focus all turbolaserzzz on the exit vectorzzz. Something isn't right." She said.

Penish and Tarkin shimmered to existence beside her via holo.

"Well? Where are they?" Tarkin demanded.

Zaza narrowed her eyes.

"They are coming." She said certainly.

"Really? They haven't set off any sensor buoys." Penish said.

She shook her head.

"They are coming." She said.

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The fleet travelled silently through hyperspace. Shaak Ti was sweating with concentration as they neared the planet.

"We're approaching the exit lanes." Vella said.

"We don't want them though." Shaak Ti said.

"What?" Syron demanded urgently.

"Prepare to revert to realspace in..."

Syront ensed over the lever, and Softy moaned worriedly.

"Five..."

Vella sent the message.

"Four..."

Teecee started computing the odds of survival, and found them depressing so stopped.

"Three..."

Rox whistled in a scared tone.

"Two..."

Softy moaned.

"One..."

Syron then wrenched the lever, and the ship emerged into nothingness. Shaak Ti breathed a sigh of relief.

"Prepare for battle." She ordered into the comm..

"There's nothing there!" Syron retorted.

"On the contrary. We're right beneath the _Exectruix_. This is Shaak Ti. End Force Cloak!"

Suddenly the fleet appeared from nowhere, and Syron went pale. They were underneath the _Execrutix_. However, there were two extra fleets.

"Typical! Sodding typical! The powers that be piss on my good fortune once more! Get us down to the planet!" Shaak Ti snapped.

Syron gunned the engines and shot past the Imp blockade, just as the turbolaser blasts started firing.

A blast rocked the back of the ship.

"Shaak Ti..." Syron moaned.

She shot him a filthy look as Scu'ya joined them.

"Syron. Not wishing to be impolite but if this is about your ship getting shot, I shall dip you very slowly into a vat of molten copper. I shall proceed up to your genitalia and then I shall stick you through a mincer at a dog food factory." She growled menacingly.

Syron went pale, then shut his mouth.

Scu'ya was looking at Shaak Ti in horror as they passed the fleet and shot towards the ground.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zaza frowned. She could feel the Jedi, they were all around her, but she couldnt see a thing.

"My lady, a Corellian Corvette is under our hull!" a lieutenant yelled.

Zaza looked at the screen to see the _Silver Blade_ appear from nowhere. She then realised what they must have done.

"Power to shieldzz! They're here!"

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Tarkin scoffed as Zaza's panic filled voice went over the comm.

"Stupid Force user. There's clearly nothing there." He said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ackdara smiled as the _Silver Blade _streaked planetward_._ The plan was going well.

"Admiral! There's more ships here!"

She cursed. So much for the plan going well.

"Hit the hangars as much as possible, stop them deploying their fighters! My surprise is en route! Hit them hard and where it hurts! Get to it people!"

Turbolaser blasts penetrated the Force cloak, crashing into the hangar's of Penish's three ISDs. Fire blew out from them, and Ackdara smiled. That was eighteen fighter squadrons she didnt have to worry about.

Her fleet began to divide, as the heavy cruisers moved to engage the ISDs. The _Talentless_ and the _Bearing_ fell back slightly and started to bomb the _Execrutix_ with their long range missiles. The frigates divided among the Dreadnaughts and let loose with their cluster bombs, blowing shards of their hull open as they impacted.

The Imperial fleet was in chaos, as, despite their new ships, the Jedi fleet's proximity had totally thrown them. The hangars of Penish's three ISDs were spewing smoke, and his Dreadnaughts were under attack. The enemy fighters were finally starting to fly out of the hold, but the Jedi fighters outnumbered them, and they started to burst into balls of fire all over the place. The other three ISDs were under attack from the Bothan cruisers, the Mon Cal cruisers and the Liberator, all of which were laying laser fire into the hull of their enemies.

Ackdara smiled. Their unexpected appearance had totally thrown the Imps.

"Push the advantage! All fighter squadrons, keep up your offensive, and keep whatever ships they deploy away from the cruisers! All Consular cruisers, deal with those Strike Cruisers! All other forces, fire at will on those VSDs! Bring them down!" she ordered.

The _Yoda_, _Stass Allie_ and _Coleman Kcaj_ moved in, their cannons blazing. One of Tarkin's VSDs went to meet them, and was backed up by the two new Dreadnaughts, which had escaped the frigates, which were now shelling another VSD. Their laser fire pounded away at the ship, and the shields started to waver as the three devastating broadsides continued. The _Rift_ and the _Disturbance_ moved in and started to pound away at the shields of the _Yoda_.

"Master Swan, dismantle that Dreadnaught so we may know victory." Zao said from his fighter.

"Acknowledged Master Zao." She said.

Bultar then led her squadrons of ARC 170s towards the _Rift_, which was shelling the bridge of the _Yoda_.

"Three Flight, fire missiles at the engines and we'll stop them where they stand. Two Flight, One Flight, we'll take down it's weapons and it's bridge. Fire at will!" Bultar ordered.

The fighters attacked, chipping away at the mammoth vessel. Bultar fired two missiles, and watched with satisfaction as they bypassed the shields and blew out the bridge viewport. Missiles slammed into the engines of the _Rift_, sending the cruiser listing to the left. Laser blasts splattered the shields as the other fighters battered away, blowing apart turbolaser emplacements. Bultar smiled as she flipped her ship over and fired another round of missiles into the central array. The ship then shuddered slightly.

"Pull away from the _Rift_! It's going to explode! The damage to the engines has apparently knackered up the cooling systems!" Minul said from his fighter.

Bultar's force pulled away and a second later, the Dreadnaught was ripped apart by a massive internal explosion.

"Score for the good guys!" Bultar cried triumphantly.

"We are still far outgunned. Keep up the offensive! The surprise is nearly here!" Ackdara said excitedly.

Argron's Consular cruisers were flying circles around the enemy Strike Cruisers, pumping turbolaser fire and missiles into them. Fire was streaming from the _Crusher_, and the _Enslaver_ was trying hard to get away from the ships.

"General, the _Enslaver _is making a run for it, but the _Obsession _is coming our way." Jehmit reported.

Argron nodded.

"Let's use the _Crusher _as a shield. Fall behind it and we shall destroy it from there. Then, we can turn our attention to the _Obsession_." He said.

Behind the approaching Star Destroyer, the _Millionaire_ was approaching, its turbolasers eagerly seeking its prey. The Mon Cal cruiser was slower than the Destroyer however, and as such it was lagging behind while the ISD approached the beleaguered Strike Cruisers. A missile from the _Diplomacy_ crashed into the side of the _Crusher_, and a massive explosion rippled along the ship's hull. The Strike Cruiser gave a wobble, then blew into three separate burning pieces.

"Well done people!" Ackdara encouraged as the _Swift_ blasted away at the _Lightning_.

Argron frowned. Their cover was gone and the ISD was in range. Green turbolaser blasts flew out from the cruiser and started to blast away at the shields of the retreating ISD, which was bearing down on the force of Consulars.

"Let's hit them with missiles. It might make them think twice. Fire at will!" Argron barked, and missiles streaked from the five ships, pummelling the shields of the approaching _Obsession_.

Fire erupted up and down the prow of the ISD, but it wasn't enough. While the _Millionaire_ thundered fire into it's shields, the ISD let loose with all it's cannons scattering a web of destructive energy through space, surrounding them. One blast hit the midsection of the _Diplomacy_, and an alarm went off.

"What's that?" Argron demanded as he pulled the _Justice_ up from the laser fire.

"They're reporting heavy damage to the main reactor." Jehmit said sadly.

"Tell them to abandon ship. Then fly us to meet the _Millionaire_ and we'll try and bring the cruiser down."

Fire was streaming from the _Diplomacy_ as smoke and flame poured from it. The salon pod jettisoned away, and the unmanned hulk of the ship tumbled through space, before smashing against the prow of the _Obsession_. Fire erupted from the cruiser, and Argron nodded in grim satisfaction. The loss of the ship was a pity, but it had made a dent in the ISD. They fired at it as they overshot it, before forming up behind the _Millionaire_.

"This is General Argron. Any fighter assistance would be appreciated." he said.

"Acknowledged General." Noriah Na responded, and her two squadrons came flying at the Star Destroyer.

"Fire at will!" Argron ordered, as the _Obsession_ turned to meet the combined threat.

Turbolaser shots crashed into the Destroyer's shields as the Mon Cal cruiser smashed it. The Consulars added their missiles to the barrage, leaving a trail of smoke from the ISD.

"Commander Na, take out those shield generators so we can finish it off." Argron ordered.

"As ordered."

Missiles emitted form her V-Wings, crashing into the generator domes on the bridge of the ISD. Both globes exploded, and the barrage started blasting holes into the side of the Destroyer.

"Fire all weapons!" Argron ordered.

A devastating barrage ensued as they decimated the _Obsession_'s left flank, blowing holes in the ship. Argron then gunned the engines and brought them into range of the command tower, then squeezed the missile release. Fire erupted from the bridge viewport as the missile punctured it, blasting apart the control room of the behemoth. The ship started to list badly.

"Excellently done people! The _Obsession_ is down and out."

The _Infuriator_ then appeared, and with a final round of turbolaser fire, the _Obsession_ was ripped apart by a barrage from both sides.

"That's done it!" Jehmit cried triumphantly.

However, their victory was short lived. Tarkin's VSDs had escaped their pursuers temporarily, and let loose with a storm of ion fire.

"All forces, break off!" Argron cried.

It was too late, as the _Millionaire_, _Infuriator_ and the Consulars were hit by the blue beams.

Argron cursed.

"We're out of the battle, and the enemy is beginning to gain the upper hand." He said irritably.

Ackdara frowned. The Empire had finally got itself into line and were beginning to force her fleet back.

"Admiral, our line is under attack, and seven ships are dead in space and the _Last Call _is reporting severe damage." The captain shouted.

"Dont worry. My surprise will soon be here." She said.

Then the Empire wouldn't know what had hit it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The _Silver Blade_ headed for the capital of Drev'starn. Behind it was a force of six gunships, bearing a group of Wookiee and battle droid soldiers which the other Jedi would lead to force off the occupation force. They were to be led by Exaz, Ventress and Minul.

The gunships settled into a landing and the three Force users sprang out, deflecting the barrage of blaster fire that came their way as Wookiees, SBDs and destroyer droids rolled out from the gunships, backed up by the normal battle droids.

"Press the advantage to the left Master Exaz! I shall take the right! Ventress, you have centre!" Minul ordered, breaking off.

The stormtroopers had settled themselves in at the landing pad at the outskirts of the city, and had formed a barricade with landspeeders, which had E-webs mounted on top of them.

Exaz sprang ahead of her Wookiee backup, her blade cleaving two stormtroopers in two, before she turned and deflected another shot into one's face. She blasted three with a Force push then flipped to the E-web, maiming it's operator and sticking her saber into it's firing mechanism, rendering it inoperable.

Ventress spiralled into a cluster of stormies, her blades weaving malevolently. She sliced two into pieces, then sliced three in half, before kicking another two backwards, before plunging her blades into the next two's chest.

"Oh come on, I was hoping for a fight!" she crowed as the droids broke through the lines of the stormtroopers.

Exaz smiled as she flipped over to slice down another one.

"Don't get overconfident. But remember, they were ostensibly a police force, which would kidnap people in the dead of night. They weren't an occupation force." she said.

Minul then dealt with the last remaining E-web and saw that the other stormtroopers were running for the three shuttles they had arrived on.

"Now that' sjsut rude don't you agree masters?" Minul asked as the stormies fled.

"Agreed. Let's give them an etiquette lesson." Ventress growled, then catapulted the length of the field and launched into a decimation of one group.

Exaz was slightly more reserved, lifting one of the landspeeders and throwing it at another group. Minul dashed towards the last group and blasted them all with a Force push, before leaping up and slicing them all in two.

The occupatiuon force was defeated, and they had gained three more shuttles into the bargain. Exaz looked at the four Wookiees that were lying bleeding on the ground sadly.

"Hmm. We have a problem." She said.

"Such as?" Ventress asked, kicking a stormtrooper's head away.

"Most of our battles have been in space. As such, our space forces are relatively adept. However, our ground troops havent been getting in as much action, so arent as good as they could be." She said.

Minul stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"We can mention it to Master Ti. Now, apparently our forces are taking a beating upstairs, so let us hope Ackdara's surprise arrives soon." He said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The _Silver Blade_ roared to a stop in the private landing area of the Bothan Council headquarters, the Combined Clans Building.

"What if the stormies are in here?" Syron asked.

"Stick behind me. We get in, deal with the Triumvirate's traitor then get out again. Now come." Shaak Ti said, lighting her saber.

Vella smiled. It had been a while since they'd just gone out and shot people. She raised her blaster, as did Scu'ya. Softy readied his bowcaster, and Teecee raised his hands.

"This is going to be so much fun." Syron said, readying his two blasters.

"Quite. It's been a while since I chopped up stormies. Let us go." She said excitedly, and Rox opened the door, and she sprang out.

Blaster bolts came flying at them from the door to the landing area, as a group of stormtroopers had set themselves up in the doorway. Shaak Ti was out first, knocking bolts away from her backup as they pushed away from the ship. Syron then rolled down the ramp, coming up on one knee and blasting two stormies down, while Softy fired a bolt that knocked four stormies to the ground, killing two of them. Vella calmly blasted two in the faceplate, as Teecee fired a stream of laser fire which took down more of them.

"There will be more troops on the inside of the building! The office of the Triumvirate is on the balcony floor!" Scu'ya said, pointing to something above them.

Shaak Ti nodded and flipped over the area, landing right in the throng of the dented troops. Her blade whirled around her, cutting more troops into pieces, and the others fell back to escape the powerful blade. The others ran forward to join her, and Vella shot down two troops that were aiming at Shaak Ti. Syron blasted another stormie down as they ran away from the landing area corridor, and they surged on.

"Prepare yourselves." Shaak Ti ordered, and sprang into the corridor and immediately came under fire.

She blasted the cluster of troops away with the Force, allowing the others to enter the corridor, firing as they came. Softy scattered many of the troops with his bowcaster, and Vella, Syron and Scu'ya let loose with a hail of blasterfire that took down more of the disorientated troops.

"Shaak Ti! Look!" Vella cried.

Stormtroopers were fleeing up the stairs, headed for the upper levels.

"They shouldn't be able to get past the checkpoints. If they do..." Scu'ya said.

As predicted, the troops had to stop at the checkpoint. However, they scanned a card and dashed through.

"Such treachery! Whoever is working with them must want the Empire to take control of the Spynet. We must stop this!" Scu'ya growled, shooting down another two troops as they made for the stairs.

Shaak Ti frowned. This was serious. And if they didn't move quickly, the innocent Triumvirate members may very well be killed. She looked up to see a giant chandelier illuminating the room, hanging just before the staircase.

"Hurry!" she said, leaping up to the balcony.

"Hurry she says. Easy for her to say, she can jump massive distances and avoid all the bad guys!" Syron muttered.

"I heard that." She said irritably, then threw her lightsaber at the chandelier.

"Mad woman!" Teecee cried and they all leapt to the side as the chandelier, cut from the ceiling by her saber, crashed down on the remainder of the enemy troops.

They ran up the stairs, giving her a dirty look as they arrived. She fluttered her eyelashes innocently and Scu'ysa let them through the checkpoint. They dashed up several more flights of stairs, barely missing the tail end of the troopers as they fled to the Triumvirate's room.

"Blast it, we're not going to make it." Syron panted.

Shaak Ti pursed her lips, then stretched out with the Force. She grabbed a hold of all of them, then threw them up to the next floor, crashing just behind the troopers. She then leapt up herself and ran after the troops, followed by Scu'ya, then the others, all grumbling bitterly.

They dashed down the corridor to see the stormtroopers barge into a room, containing three Bothans, and they then slammed shut the door.

"They might kill the Triumvirate!" Scu'ya panicked.

Syron shook his head.

"Doubt it. Master Ti, when two thirds of the Triumvirate are incapacitated, doesn't all their information go to the remaining member?" he asked.

Shaak Ti skidded to a stop.

"Of course! Syron, you're a genius! If one supports the Republic, or us, and one is neutral, they may have information the Empire can use! So the other member allies with the Empire and takes control of their information, get's control of the Triumvirate and makes a packet in the deal, and most likely finds himself very powerful in a new Bothan government! This is all a powerplay!" she said, then turned to the door.

"Which means they might just kill the other two members and claim half a victory rather than a whole one." Vella said warningly, and they dashed forward.

Shaak Ti threw her saber down the corridor, and the blade plunged through the lock. She called the blade back to her as the door slid open, revealing one blond speckled Bothan pointing two blasters at another two, and the stormtroopers facing them, all with weapons raised.

Shaak Ti went low, cutting the legs out from under the first two. Syron blasted several in the chest while Vella and Scu'ya rushed in, dropping and blasting some in the stomach, while Softy and Teecee finished them off.

Shaak Ti cut down the last stormtrooper then levelled her blade at the throat of the threatening Bothan.

"You!" she exclaimed in surprise.

The Bothan sneered.

"Shaak Ti. Once again you interfere with my plans." The Bothan sneered.

Shaak Ti narrowed her eyes.

"This is Perfa Cross'tey. He was the apprentice of the last Triumvirate member who went rogue, but Master Rozza and I couldn't tie him with the crime, so he escaped justice sadly. I should have known you would be behind this." She said as the other two Triumvirate were seen to by Syron and Vella.

The leader, a silver furred Bothan, narrowed his violet eyes.

"You have brought great shame upon us. Why have you done all this?" he demanded.

Cross'tey sneered.

"You two were leaning to their side, and for regretting the loss of the Republic. You were going to use the information you had access to to bring down the helpful government. I couldn't let that happen. And besides, with you two out of the way, I would control the Spynet, and use it to root out the rebels, and gain a position far more befitting a person of my stature. I would rule Bothawui...if not for her interference, as before." He snarled.

Shaak Ti turned to the leader.

"Well Spymaster, this is the reason for all your troubles. He thought he would kill you and take over the Spynet, and use that to take over Bothawui. As such, he invited his Imperial allies onto the planet. And managed to get everyone else to think Tarkin was behind it. And the troops were to gather some slaves and also an excuse so he could get his..."

She twitched her blade at his belt, and a pouch fell off, which Softy emptied onto the table, revealing over a thousand hundred credit notes.

"...Cash." she finished, looking at the Bothan triumphantly.

The elder Bothan narrowed his eyes.

"You are a faithless deceiver Cross'tey. We have jurisdiction Shaak Ti. Now, what do you intend to do about the fleet battle raging in orbit?" he demanded as Bothan security members arrived and carted Cross'tey off.

She smiled.

"We are going to win it." She said confidently.

Syron leant to her ear.

"Um, you do know we're losing?"

"Dont worry. I've figured out what Admiral Ackdara's surprise is. The Imps wont know what's hit them." She said confidently.

The elder smiled.

"I look forward to it. We are indebted to you all for your bravery in freeing us of his treachery. He takes the name 'Bothan' to a whole new level. Anyway, we were going to give this to you. Think of it as thanks." He said, and handed her a datacard.

She accepted it graciously.

"Thank you Spymaster."

"I'm sure you'll find it most illuminating." He said as he shook her hand.

"Spymaster." Scu'ya said, inclining his head as the elder approached.

"Thank you for your action Commander Scu'ya. As a result, I suggest you now act as Shaak Ti's official liaison to the Spynet. You can take your ships with you." He said.

Scu'ya beamed.

"It would be an honour." He said, bowing to the elder, then Shaak Ti.

She opened her mouth to talk, then swirled in alarm.

"Master Ti?" Vella asked worriedly.

"I hate it when she gets that look."

Shaak Ti frowned.

"The Dark Jedi is coming. Go back to the ship and prepare for take off. I will join you shortly and we shall watch the fireworks upstairs. Go." She ordered, readying her saber.

They didn't need telling twice, and despite looking concerned, began to leave.

"Unpolluted waters to you Shaak Ti." The elder said.

"And clean beaches to you." She responded, bowing slightly as the Triumvirate's last two members left.

"Be careful. The ship getting shot at wont be nearly as much fun without you around to moan at." Syron said, smiling.

She smiled back.

"Thank you dear. Now go. And let us see if I cant remember how to deal with obnoxious fools who think they are Dark Jedi."

Syron left and Shaak Ti stood on the other side of the room, blocked from the door by the table the Triumvirate sat at. She could feel the dark presence raging in the Force, furious that their plans had been foiled.

Shaak Ti took a moment to centre herself, before the Dark Jedi entered the room. She was a massive hulking Barabel, full of dark side rage.

"So, you are the Dark Jedi behind all this." She said, raising her lightsaber.

"Shaak Ti. I am Lady Zaza, loyal servant of the Empire. Your forces' interference has made me look a fool in front of my masters. It is time to end this. Bothawui will be your grave Jedi!" she vowed, and leapt over the table, a red blade igniting in her hand.

Shaak Ti calmly raised her hand and blasted Zaza with a Force push. Zaza gave an enraged hiss and slammed down to the ground, where she rolled back to her feet and readied her blade.

"Clever trick Jedi. You will not get another opportunity such as that." She said, and fired a jet of Force lightning.

Shaak Ti lazily raised her hand and let loose with a wreath of Force Fire. Zaza took a frightened step back, then flipped over the attack as her lightning faltered in her shock.

"Impressive. No more distraction I am thinking." She snarled, then ran through the table, her blade cutting it in two.

Shaak Ti readied herself, and the duel was on.

Zaza came in high, and Shaak Ti blocked the attack, shocked by how strong the Barabel was. Zaza brought the blade back and swung it around, trying to cleave off Shaak Ti's head. The Jedi flipped over her, making the Barabel swing too far. She smacked her with a Force push, which sent her stumbling. Zaza then backflipped, her lightsaber crashing down at Shaak Ti from above. Shaak Ti blocked, raising her saber above her head to throw Zaza off course. Zaza landed and swung her tail. Shaak Ti danced away, before lunging back at her and trying to impale her shoulder. Zaza blocked the swing then tried to slash Shaak Ti. She was too wily for that however and spun out of the way, leaving Zaza over extended. Shaak Ti grinned triumphantly as she sliced a strip of skin from Zaza's arm, making her curse in pain.

"Clever Jedi." She said, before coming at her.

Zaza struck high, aiming to break Shaak Ti's arm with her strike. She parried elegantly, before kicking up at her chin and knocking the Dark Jedi back. Zaza hissed then slashed at Shaak Ti again. She flipped over and used the Force to throw a chunk of the table at her. Zaza cut it from the air and then fired a torrent of Force lightning at the Jedi. Shaak Ti caught it on her blade, then went out the door.

"We aren't playing hide and seek Jedi." Zaza hissed and stomped after her.

Shaak Ti dashed into the atrium, and ducked as Zaza came crashing down, landing just beside her. Shaak Ti blocked the wild swing, shoving her backwards before unleashing an offensive of her own. The Dark Jedi was thrown onto the defensive as Shaak Ti's elegant Makashi batted away at her strong Djem So. Shaak Ti then crashed her hilt into Zaza's jaw, knocking her to the side. Shaak Ti then whirled her blade, slicing the tip off of her tail.

Zaza hissed angrily then slammed her blade into Shaak Ti's, who was forced back up the stairs by the brutality of the attack. Zaza gave into her rage, crashing and smashing away at Shaak Ti's defences. Shaak Ti grimaced. The Dark Jedi was strong physically, but wasn't at master level. Time to end this.

Shaak Ti blocked an attack, then let a coil of Force Fire creep up her arm, crackling away at Zaza's scales. Zaza reared backwards, her arm smoking, and Shaak Ti slammed her with a powerful Force push. The Barabel hurtled down the stairs, gouging chunks out of the marble as she did so. Shaak Ti jumped down after her, her blade coming around to slice gouges into her forearms and shins. Zaza rolled to a stop and sprang to her feet, blocking Shaak Ti's top heavy attack. Zaza swung her mutilated tail to try and knock Shaak Ti away from her, but the Jedi was too good for her. She jumped over, stabbing the tail as he jumped over. She then cut out one of Zaza's teeth, before twirling and scoring hits on both shoulders. Zaza hissed as the attacks happened, and then Shaak Ti smacked her blade out of the way, leaving Zaza open. Shaak Ti swung her saber around and took off Zaza's saber hand.

Zaza staggered down a few steps.

"You are beaten. Surrender now to me." Shaak Ti said, prepared to kill the Dark Jedi.

"I think not Jedi. We will see each other again. Until then..."

Shaak Ti's eyes widened as the chandelier flew up towards them. Zaza rolled under it, picked up her saber and ran for the door, while Shaak Ti sprang over the chandelier, before settling back down to ground.

"Ah well. Another time Zaza." She said, putting her saber off and running to rejoin the _Silver Blade_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zaza nursed her amputated arm as her shuttle flew back to the _Rage_. It would grow back eventually.

"Damn Jedi." She hissed.

Her pilot then cursed.

"My lady, there's something massive coming out of hyperspace." He reported.

Zaza rolled her eyes.

"What does it matter? Most of their heavy cruisers are inoperative. Even if it's reinforcements, its only delaying the inevitable." She said.

"But my lady...it's massive."

A massive warship then blasted out of hyperspace. It was around eighteen kilometres long, cyndrical in shape with a rocket shaped control area. Four crescent like structures, two on each side emerged from the body just behind the command structure, and there were another four at the rear.

"What the devil?" Zaza demanded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ackdara smiled.

"I told you so. Right, _Lightside_, fire at will!"

The massive ship let loose with it's many gigantic turbolasers, annihilating entire flights of TIEs. The VSDs preying on Argron's inactive task force immediately turned tail and started to go back the other way, as all the Imperial ships clustered together.

"Deploy all fighter squadrons." She said.

Twenty fighter squadrons spilled from the crescents on the massive battlecruiser.

"Signal the commander, and tell him to blow apart anything that moves that's Imperial." Ackdara said happily as she watched their ultimate ship enter the battlefield, it's turbolasers blasting TIEs apart as they neared the chaotic Imperial fleet.

"Fire." The commander ordered.

Turoblaser blasts then smashed into several ships. The _Inspired_ and the _Fearless_, both belonging to Tarkin and already weakened from the battle, lasted ten seconds under the barrage before their shields failed and the turbolasers blew both ships into strips of super heated metal. The _Expedition_ was ripped in two by a massive round, and the Imperial fleet fell into utter anarchy.

"This is Admiral Ackdara! All forces, push the advantage! Let's break them!"

Turbolasers came flying from the remaining Jedi ships, decimating the chaotic Imperial ships.

"This is it! Finish them!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zaza's shuttle landed on the _Rage_.

"Captain, signal our fleet. Full retreat to Coruscant." She ordered into the comm..

"But my lady, what about Penish and the others?" he asked nervously.

"Let them deal with themselves." She purred, and a second later the Dark Jedi fleet flickered to lightspeed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Penish went pale as Zaza took the entire Dark Jedi fleet of three ISDs and eight VSDs to lightspeed.

"She's abandoned us!" Penish raged.

"Bah! We don't need her!" Tarkin scoffed.

Penish wasn't as sure.

"Um Tarkin, I have lost an ISD, a Strike Cruiser and a Dreadnaught, you have lost two VSDs and we're now down an entire fleet!"

Varx, the commander of the other fleet, then appeared before him.

"Admiral Penish, I am ordering a retreat for my forces. We have already lost a Dreadnaught..."

There was a flash from outside as both the _Outward_ and the _Borderline_, two of the fleet's ISDs were blown apart, both by the massive hail of turbolaser fire from the _Lightside._

Varx sent Penish an enraged glance, and fled, his sole remaining ISD and Dreadnaught making good their escape.

"Ah, we don't need them! Onwards to victory! Kill that monstrosity and we've won!" Tarkin cried furiously.

Penish shook his head. The man was going to get himself killed.

"This is Admiral Penish. The situation is no longer tenable. I order a full retreat for all Imperial forces." He said.

Tarkin's holo glared at him.

"We must perish for the glory of the Empire! We cannot retreat!" he protested.

"We can, and as I outrank you in this fleet, we will. Retreat, all forces." Penish hissed.

The Empire's fleet turned away from the massive shelling they were getting from the Jedi fleet, then vanished into lightspeed.

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Ackdara smiled as the last of the Imperial ships vanished.

"Congratulations people. We have saved Bothawui. Victory is ours!" she cheered.

Her bridge was full of cheers. Bothawui had been saved, the Empire humbled, and the _Lightside_ tested. The losses weren't as bad as they could have been certainly, and the Empire had taken a significant beating too.

"Let's go home." She said thankfully, to the relieved cheers of the entire fleet.

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The fleet was returning to Moon Base, and the party was in full swing aboard the _Swift_. While others celebrated, Shaak Ti, Ackdara, Scu'ya and Exaz all sat drinking gin and port in Ackdara's quarters.

"Well I'd say the _Lightside_ passed its first combat test." Ackdara said happily.

Exaz nodded.

"A mighty weapon indeed."

"The Imps soiled themselves." Scu'ya chortled.

"That they did. However, I think it is best used for ambushes such as that. It's too big and too much of a liability to be used for much else, other than a fleet command ship." Shaak Ti said.

Ackdara inclined her head slightly.

"We shall see. I think we can adapt it, if we're clever about things. What's our next move?" she asked.

Shaak Ti smiled.

"For the moment, get home. And until then, enjoy the festivities. We have secured the freedom of a planet, given the Empire a bloody nose, prevented the loss of the Spynet, and undid a Dark Jedi's plans. For now, let us enjoy ourselves. Tomorrow we can go back to normal and fight the Empire. But tonight, we're taking a well earned break." She said, raising her glass.

"Cheers to that." Exaz said, and they clinked glasses before heading to the party.

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Palpatine cursed.

"Force Fire?" Benun asked sceptically.

"Believe me, it exists master. She tried to fry me." Zaza complained.

"You did well to escape her Lady Zaza. Shaak Ti is a powerful Jedi." Vader said.

Zaza inclined her head.

"Yes, and she abandoned us in the first place." Tarkin growled menacingly.

Zaza bared her fangs, and Palpatine raised his hand to stall them.

"Zaza did well to inform us of these new weapons. Is this new cruiser as powerful as reported admiral?" he asked Penish.

"Yes my master. It destroyed two ISDs and two VSDS with ease, which shouldn't happen. Our smaller ships didn't stand a chance. Granted, we had been fighting and sustaining damage but it was still immensely powerful."

Vader pondered this.

"That could cause problems." He said.

Palpatine rolled his eyes and looked at him.

"Really? You think!?" he demanded, and sighed.

He stood up, then put a gnarled hand on Zaza's shoulder.

"You did well Lady Zaza. Go and get yourself fixed up." He said, impressed with her devotion, considering she'd reported straight to him before going to the proper medbay.

"We shall need to replace your ships, and those of Commander Varx." He said, then nodded for them to leave, ignoring Tarkin's forming protest.

Benun and Vader looked at each other. He was taking this rather well.

"And now, it is time I got involved. I have a plan which will crush Shaak Ti's rebellion. And if some survive, we shall end them with your plan Benun." Palpatine said, sitting down.

"Of course my master." Benun said, bowing.

"Make no mistake my friends: this time we shall give no quarter. Get me Admiral Snake and Admiral Ithis, and prepare your own fleets. This time, we will crush her." Palpatine growled.

**Hello people!**

**I bet you thought I'd forgotten about Dark Times! Well, fear not, because here we are! I felt I should put Shaak Ti out of her misery and write the last part of this trilogy of chapters.**

**What is Palpatine's evil plan? Will the Empire be able to stop the new megacruiser, the _Lightside_, which is our version of the Super Star Destroyer, and can eat Star Destroyer's for lunch? What information was in the datacard the Triumvirate gave Shaak Ti?**

**All will be revealed in due course!**

**The other stories are still being done, dont worry, and hopefully Dark Leader will be finished soon. But next up should be another Anakin/Ahsoka story! Until then, please read and review!**


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